Ten Things I Hate About You
by Pearl3
Summary: BV::Set during those 3 years::WOO HOO! UPDATED! COMPLETED! Epilogue inside...find out what happens when a new addition comes to the Briefs-Ouji Family! RR PLZ!
1. 1: You Always Interrupt My Training!

"10 Things I Hate About You" By: Pearl April 27, 2003  
  
A/N: Hey all! This is one of millions of fics that I have written, but never posted! LOL...seriously, though, I need to get with the program. I was thinking of a new fic to write, and decided to mess around with this lil idea. No, it's not based on the movie, I just used the title. Each chapter title will have one thing Vegeta can't stand about Bulma. There might be more than 10 chapters though...we'll see. I hope you enjoy this fic! BTW: it is B/V with a lil G/CC....  
  
Disclaimer: I can only dream to own it...but I DON'T---SO THERE!  
  
Chapter One: 1. You Always Interrupt My Training!  
  
Vegeta considered himself lucky, for the time being, that the "baka onna" wasn't around. As far as he could tell, she was out shopping with Chi Chi, or on some stupid date with...err...what's-his-face. He smirked as a mental image of Yamcha exploding into a million pieces entered his mind. Ah well, he could only dream...  
  
He zoomed over to the computer console of the Gravity Machine, pushing it up to 450 g's. For the eight months of his stay at Capsule Corp., he decided that it was good progress, but still not good enough. The Prince could taste the power of the Legendary Super Saiya-jin, and knew that it was near. How near, he wasn't sure. It aggrivated him to no end that a half-wit, third-class warrior could go Super. Vegeta shrugged off the anger, pressing the "Enter" key on the keypad. And, as always, the computer exploded in his face.  
  
Vegeta grit his teeth, his finger still hovering over the enter key. His face was covered in black soot, and his hair was spiked straight back, instead of it's normal flame-shape...he growled in annoyance and threw his head back.....  
  
"ONNA!!!!!!"  
  
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Bulma smiled as she walked through the door of her home. A nice day of shopping at the mall had helped her relieve work-related stress and temporarily forget her problems. There was no doubt in her mind that something was wrong with her relationship with Yamcha. She had long gotten over his roving eye, but the fact still remained that he was not as serious about them as she was. The blue-haired genius sighed, threw her bags on the couch and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Rummaging through the fridge, she found a nicely prepared bowl of salad, and her favorite fat-free dressing restocked. Another smile graced her lips and she pulled out a fork from a near-by drawer. Bulma sat down at the table, poured the dressing on the lettuce, and nearly got the scrumptious lettuce in her mouth when a resounding "BOOM!" echoed throughout the kitchen. She froze, wondering whether or not she should run outside. A ten second pause followed; she held her breath.  
  
"ONNA!!!!!!"  
  
A sigh escaped her lips as she threw down her fork.  
  
' I should just sit here,' she thought, frowning at the door. 'Maybe he'll just fly away...or something...' Bulma smirked, grabbed her fork and continued with her lunch. 'This'll teach him.'  
  
Her smirk widened as heavy, marching steps came up the pathway to the back door. A somewhat tall shadow fell over the door, their silhouette visible through the curtained window. Bulma placed her most innocent look on her face, praying that she wouldn't laugh, no matter how bad he looked. The door slammed open, making her jump, and a very ticked Vegeta stepped through the doorway.  
  
The same soot-faced Vegeta was illuminated by the light. Bulma turned her head away, stiffling giggles that were flooding the dam. "Onna," Vegeta started in an eerily calm voice. 'Uh oh...he's gonna blow a fuse!' A tiny particle of fear crept to the back of her mind. "That piece of junk you call training equipment isn't working...again."  
  
'PIECE OF JUNK?! That's it...he is so dead!' All fear was swept away by a very familiar feeling... "PIECE OF JUNK?!?! PIECE OF JUNK?!?! Listen hear bud, I worked really hard to fix that blasted machine yesterday, and you sure seemed in an awful hurry to lock yourself up in there. AND DON'T CALL ME ONNA! I have a name you know...BULMA...B-U-L-M-A!"  
  
"Look ONNA, if you want to live through that battle against the Androids in less than three years, I suggest you go out there and fix the Gravity Room." "Not until you one: ask me nicely, two: call me by my name, and three: promise not to blow it up for at least another week."  
  
"Ask you nicely? What on Earth are you talking about?" "Does the word 'please' sound familiar?" "Hmph, I, the Prince of all Saiya-jins, say please to a peasant like you? Never..." He turned towards the sink, turned on the faucet, and wet a napkin. Vegeta was appalled at the thought of having to ask the woman to do anything "nicely". Even thinking about it made him sick. He turned back to Bulma, cleaning of his face as she pursed her lips.  
  
"Then no Gravity Room for you. If there's one thing you learn on Earth, it's gonna be manners." "No Gravity Room?" "No." Now there was something Vegeta couldn't deal with. No GR meant no training, which meant no Super Saiya-jin, which in turn, meant no beating the snot out of Kakarot. Not a fair deal...the Prince was shaken out of his thoughts as Bulma got up to leave the kitchen.  
  
"Onn---** sigh ** Bulma, wait..." Bulma froze. 'He's never called me Bulma.' A small smile crept onto her face. 'I like the way he says my name...' She replaced the smile with a look of indifference and turned around. "Yeah?" "Would you PLEASE fix the GR?" Bulma broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Seems how you asked so nicely, I will." She squealed and ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" She whispered.  
  
Vegeta felt his spine tingle. His mind reeled with new emotions. Sure, he considered the onna to be pretty...ok, drop dead gorgeous, but he would never admit that...aloud anyway. He just hated the (what's the word for it?)...closeness. The Prince allowed his hands to rest on her hips in an awkward hug, yet gently pushed her away after five seconds. "You're making me soft," he growled, turning on his heel to leave the kitchen. Bulma grinned.  
  
"Oh! Wait a second! What exactly malfunctioned in the GR?" Vegeta paused in the doorway. "The computer. I tried to get it up to 450 g's but it just exploded." "Hmm...must've been defected, or OVERUSED!" "Whatever. Just get it fixed." He left without another word.  
  
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Bulma twisted the phone chord around her finger, nervously chewing on her gum. This was the third factory she had called in West City, and all seemed to be out of a certain chip she needed for the computer console of the Gravity Room. The nearly-completed motherboard sat in front of her on a cluttered work bench. She heard the ruffling of papers on the other end of the line and vaguely wondered if the employee was just buying time.  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am, we are currently out of stock on that model." "Just my luck," she muttered. "Thanks anyway." She slammed the phone down on the receiver. Her only other option at the moment was the one of the main factories in East City. 'Ugh! But that would take too long to send, not to mention the shipping charges.' Her nose twitched. 'Might as well, or else his Highness would throw a royal fit.' The blue-haired scientist reached for the phone and dialed the number.  
  
(10 minutes later) "Yes! That chip will be here in tomorrow and Veggie can get back to his training." Bulma looked out the window, noting that the sun was shinning brightly. A perfect day to go to the beach. 'The beach...hmm...I wonder if Vegeta would want to go to the beach.' She knew that the Son family, plus Piccolo, were headed there in an hour or so. Chi Chi had invited her...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta sat at the kitchen table, munching away at the large lunch Bulma had prepared. He began to think of his days with Frieza. It was hard to believe that the tyrant was dead. Unfortuantely, the Prince was still haunted by nightmares, some with Frieza, others with sins from the past. He knew his days of conquering and destroying planets were over, not that he couldn't start again at the drop of a hat. The idea of even stooping to that level sent chills down his back. No, he would not go back. 'I am getting soft...'  
  
His thoughts began to wander over to his house-mate. Things had changed drastically since he took up residence at Capsule Corp. For one, he was treated as though he belonged (well, only by the elder Briefs woman...but she was something different). He was fed, clothed, given equipment to enhance his training, and a roof over his head. All the comforts of home. And of course, he was given his space, after all, he is an adult. The onna had contributed to his stay by the daily verbal bouts, something he looked forward to everyday. Vegeta had never been one to tolerate insubordination, but Bulma had a spark, or flare, that made him want to push her buttons and get a reaction. He smirked. Ah, yes, things wouldn't be the same without her...  
  
"Hey Vegeta, you wanna go swimming?" Bulma walked into the kitchen, wearing a baggy t-shirt and tight swim shorts. "Swimming? Why the devil would I want to go swimming?" "Aww, come on! It'll be fun!" "What about the Gravity Room?" "The GR won't be fixed until tomorrow. I had to order a chip from a factory in East City, so you'll just have to wait."  
  
Vegeta scowled. His training had gone downhill in the past week. Interruptions from God knows where popped up everyday. He crossed his arms over his chest. "No." "Vegeta...PLEASE?!?! Think of it as a one-day vacation. I've updated the Gravity Room, so it won't break again for a long time, and you can't do any training today cuz it's broken! Please?" She folded her hands and placed them under her chin, making her eyes glaze over with soon-to-be-coming tears. The flame-haired Prince's scowl deepened. He was having an inner battle. The advantages: he would get a single day of vacation that may not come for a few months and his body would be able to rest. The disadvantages: he would get further behind in his training and in reaching his goal to go Super. Then again, he had no GR to work with.  
  
"Fine," he huffed, placing his dishes in the sink. He heard Bulma squeal. "Great! This will be so fun, and we'll both get a much needed vacation. I put a pair of swimming trunks on your bed, so get dressed and we'll be on our way." "On our way to wear?" "The beach silly. Where else would you go swimming?" "Obviously the pool in our backyard..."  
  
Bulma sweat-dropped. "The beach is better, and it doesn't have that chlorine smell either." Vegeta shrugged and headed off to his bedroom.  
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Whelp, that's about all for now, I'm working on the next chapter right now: 2. You're Always On My Mind. It'll be packed with fun, laughter, and a whole lotta romance! Hee Hee!! ^_~ So watch for my next chapter that may come out sometime this week...remember to review!!!  
  
Ja Ne! ~* Pearl *~ ^_^ Da Super Soccer Onna 


	2. 2: You're Always On My Mind

A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out....with school and all I've been a busy lil girl. Oh well, here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy and remember to review!  
  
Quick note: = words = are Bulma's thoughts, and words are Vegeta's thoughts, seems how I don't know how to bold and italicize things for the ff.net format!  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter. 1  
Chapter Two: 2. You're Always On My Mind pt. 1  
  
"THAT'S IT! I SAID GET OUT!!!!!"  
  
"But, Babe! You don't understand! She doesn't mean anything to me! I swear-"  
  
"OUT, YAMCHA! I never want to see you again!"  
  
Bulma fought back tears as she yelled at her boyfriend of many years. She had called his house to ask if he wanted to go to the beach, only to get an answer from a ditzy blond on the other end of the line. And Yamcha, trying to save his butt, ran over to Capsule Corp. with flowers and candy.  
  
"Bulma, listen, this isn't what it appears to be. I can explain."  
  
"I don't want you to explain. I've had enough of your cheating, Yamcha. So get out before I-"  
  
"Let me explain! I-"  
  
"I believe that the Onna told you to leave," a deep voice said from behind Bulma. The woman smirked knowing that she had all the backup she needed. She looked back to Yamcha, seeing his face slightly pale. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and shook his head. Reaching for the door, he gave one last glance to Bulma, then quietly shut the door behind him.  
  
Bulma let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. The last semblance of her younger years had walked out the door with the scar-faced warrior. She felt a tear travel down her cheek. = Did I make a mistake? Oh God, why does this always happen to me? = Another tear fell, but she quickly wiped it away. "A-Are you ready to go to the beach?" She didn't dare look back.  
  
"I've been ready, woman. Let's just get this over with."  
  
The blue-haired woman nodded and headed for the garage door, slinging a beach bag over her shoulder. She opened the back door, then the garage door, and watched as the sun bathed it's rays over her red Corvette. A small smile graced her lips as they both hopped into the car, backed out of the driveway, and sped off towards West City Beach.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(((W.C.B.)))  
  
The soft, sandy beach was hardly crowded. A few families decorated their own spots. Umbrellas shot out of the sand like makeshift trees, and happy children ran around, built sandcastles, or went into the crystal-clear water to swim. Bulma loved the weather: not too cold, not too hot. She set her bag down, pulling out a large blanket and spreading it out in her area. Plopping down on the blanketed sand, she dug through her bag, looking for her capsule box.  
  
"Argh! Where's that stupid box?! Don't tell me I left it at home..." She let her sentence trail off as she realized that the certain blue box was hovering in front of her face. "Huh?" The accompanying chuckle soon dawned on her, and she put two and two together. "**sigh** Vegeta, give me the box, please." He handed to her and sat on the blanket, trying to pull his shirt over his head.  
  
Bulma pulled out a capsule labeled "UMBRELLA", pressed the top down, and threw away from her, earning a "POOF!". An umbrella with tropical trees and the like stood up from the ground. "Perfect! I always knew I had good aim!"  
  
"You keep telling yourself that." Vegeta said, lying across the bottom end of the blanket. His arms were crossed behind his head; his muscles seemed to almost bulge from his body. Bulma felt a slight blush come across her cheeks. =Gosh, I knew he had muscles...but brother does he have MUSCLES!= Her lingering stare caught the Prince's eye.  
  
"Close your mouth Onna or else a fly might get lost in there." Her scowl/glare combination pushed him on. "See something you like?"  
  
Bulma turned her nose up into the air. "HA! I was just wondering how anyone as ugly as you could live with yourself."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yes really."  
  
Vegeta smirked at her. "Hmph, well, if I'm so ugly, what are you?"  
  
"The most beautiful scientist in the world!"  
  
You are at that. "HA HA HA! You're joking right? You can't be that beautiful...psht, you couldn't even keep that weakling baka interested in you. His mind was on something you couldn't..." He stopped when her scowl deepened, showing glassy eyes. He turned away from her, lying on his side. Ok, that was a bit on the harsh side, but she should've known he was only joking! It wasn't often that his insults were serious.  
  
Indeed he was joking. Bulma was the most beautiful creature he had seen in his whole life. Even exotic planets that he had traveled to were nothing compared to her. UGH! Stop it! She's just the baka Onna who cooks, fixes the machine, washes your clothes, takes care of your wounds, cares about you...HUH?! Where'd THAT come from?!? Vegeta shook his head, hoping to rid it of those thought. More and more he found himself thinking about her during the weirdest times. This time being one of them. He attributed it to guilt. Yeah, I just don't feel right about taking it that far. That's all. No possible attraction. I'm a Saiya-jin Prince, she is a baka human female. End of story...I hope...  
  
Music flooded his ears for the umpteenth time that day. Bulma and that blasted radio...I swear! He decided to sprawl out on his stomach, hoping to catch a slight nap. He nearly jumped ten feet into the air when something cold and creamy (?!) made contact with his skin.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!?!" He asked as he pulled away from Bulma.  
  
"Goodness Vegeta, I was only putting sun-block on you so you won't get sun- burn!"  
  
"First of all, I tan, not burn...second of all, I didn't ask you to put it on me. So get away!"  
  
"**sigh** How do you think a tan happens? Consider this a massage. I'm sure your muscles would appreciate it." Vegeta scowled. He did have a few tense muscles. Oh well, what the heck. It's not like she would kill him...or could for that matter.  
  
"Alright, alright. Just let me warm that up. It's cold," he growled.  
  
"Big baby!" Bulma said, the corners of her mouth tugging up.  
  
"Whatever," he muttered, grabbing her hand in both of his. He powered up slightly, watching as the lotion melted a bit. Bulma's eyes widened as big as saucers. With an "EEP!" she yanked her hand back and ran behind him, rubbing the lotion on his back.  
  
Vegeta's confused look turned into one of anger as he glared at her from the corner of his eye. "You actually thought I was going to hurt you?"  
  
"Well, you didn't give me any warning-"  
  
"Baka Onna, I wouldn't hurt you-" he stopped short as he realized what he was saying. Ack...stupid human emotions! There must be something in their air.  
  
"Huh? You wouldn't hurt me?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Aww! Vegeta!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, still behind him. "You're like a big grizzly bear: mean on nearly every occasion, yet sweet and cuddly when you want to be."  
  
Sweet? Cuddly? What the mess? He chuckled in spite of himself.  
  
"Ya know, I could get used to this side of you," Bulma said, pulling back and applying more sun-block.  
  
"Hmph...enjoy it while you can. This is the last you'll ever see of it."  
  
"I refuse to believe that, Vegeta. This side will always be there, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I don't think you're much of a bastard, though some choose to disagree. But hey! It's a free country, and I say that you're ok...in my book." She crawled around and sat in front of him, squeezing more of the lotion into her palm.  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
  
"Yup. Hey, are you gonna warm this up too?" Vegeta shook his head, but felt his eyes grow wide as the frighteningly cold lotion touched his skin.  
  
"IYEEE YIYEEEE!" He fell backwards, causing Bulma to pitch forward after losing him as her balance. "VEGETA!" She shrieked, feeling her shirt cling to her skin as the entire tube emptied itself between them. Being nose-to- nose, Vegeta could feel her short, angry breaths coming out in huffs from her nose, and her heart racing against his chest. Had he scared her that much?  
  
He sweat-dropped as she pushed herself away from him, hair standing up in places and a vein nearly popping out of her forehead. Vegeta also sat up, holding the back of his head. He felt it bump against a rock, and it smarted something awful. Clenched teeth were shown as he brought his hand in front of his face. Just as he thought: a tiny trickle of blood ran down his hand, wrist, then arm, and made a tiny blotch on the sand.  
  
Bulma's eyes widened. "Are you ok?" He looked up at her and scowled. "I'm fine," he growled, reaching for his head again. Bulma grabbed his arm and tried to pull her towards him. "Lemme see."  
  
"Let go!"  
  
"Stop acting childish and come here so I can see!" He complied, moving closer to her. Both still sitting on the sand, she had him bend his head down to get a better look. She moved his hair away and saw a tiny cut, slowly healing, yet faster than any human's.  
  
"Wow. Saiyans sure do heal quickly!"  
  
"Of course we do," his muffled voice replied. The Prince sat up and looked at Bulma. "And it's Saiya-jin, not Saiyan."  
  
"That's what I said!"  
  
"It was not. Say it again."  
  
"Saiyan."  
  
"No, no, no. Sai..." he made a motion, telling her to repeat.  
  
"Sai..."  
  
"...ya.."  
  
"...ya..."  
  
"...jin."  
  
"...jin." Bulma frowned. She didn't really see what the big deal was.  
  
"Saiya-jin." Vegeta repeated, slowly, but not in syllables.  
  
"Saiya-jin." Bulma mimicked.  
  
"Much better. If you are to even mention my people, it's best that you say it correctly."  
  
"You Saiyans are weird."  
  
"WOMAN! SAIYA-JIN! Sai..." Bulma repeated it. "...ya..." again, but each were moving towards each other. "...jin..." noses were nearly touching. "...Saiya-jin," they said at the same time, noses touching. Bulma didn't move any further. =It's his move now. =  
  
Vegeta was having yet another mental debate. Ack, he hated debates, though he was proficient at it. To kiss or not to kiss, that is the question. If he put it technically, in Saiya-jin terms, he was already kissing her. Different as it may sound, Saiya-jins kissed by either touching their noses, something only those "going out" (in the Onna's terms) did, or mouth to mouth, which was reserved for "married" people. And yet, after having his mind polluted by the TV, he found that married or dating, humans still kissed on the lips. Strange, but true. So, why not try it?  
  
He pressed in and found it very, very nice (^_^)....  
  
=Oh WOW!= Bulma thought, deepening it even more. =Training isn't the only thing he's good at---= Her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Both heads turned, cheeks still touching, and looked up at the shadowy figure.  
  
"HI GUYS!" came the cheery voice. =Hey, I know that voice! It's---=  
  
KAKAROT?! What is HE doing here? Vegeta felt his cheeks grow red-hot as the idiotic Saiya-jin grinned at them. He had long since pulled away from Bulma, nothing new. The flame-haired man could feel her nails digging into his forearm. He looked at her and saw her face as red as a cherry. If it were anyone else that had barged in, he would've laughed at her. But seems how this was Kakarot, first-class clown, with the biggest mouth this side of West City...need I go on?  
  
"Go-Goku. Heh....what are you doing here?" Bulma asked, finally letting go of Vegeta.  
  
"Well, Chi said that we deserved a break, and what not. She also said that she invited you, so I thought 'hey, why not see my old pal Bulma?'. So, here we are!" He gave the infamous Son Grin , making Vegeta cringe and want to puke. How can anyone be that happy and not in a mental institution??  
  
"Well then, why don't you guys set up near us? We could spend some quality time together!" Bulma seemed to have composed herself, making Vegeta feel proud. The best way to let something go was not to dwell on it. Of course, he would have to talk to Kakarot later on about his...situation.  
  
Goku nodded and went back to his family, gesturing towards Bulma and Vegeta. The next thing they knew, Chi Chi whacked Goku upside the head with the frying pan screeching that he "SHOULDN'T BARGE IN ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT! THEY WERE HAVING A MOMENT, SON GOKU!!". Piccolo, Gohan, and the rest of the Z-Senshi that were there sweat-dropped. Goku put his hand behind his head, said something that Bulma couldn't hear, and helped pick up their stuff.  
  
***(10 minutes later)***  
  
"GOKU! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THOSE HOT DOGS ALONE!"  
  
"But Chi, I'm hungry!"  
  
"Go swim with Gohan then!"  
  
Goku frowned and trudged off to the edge of the water. Vegeta found this to be the most opportune time to talk to his rival. He took a few steps, but stopped when he heard his name.  
  
"What is it, woman?  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To swim," he replied curtly. "That's what we came here for, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but---" She never got to finish. Vegeta swiftly turned around and continued to walk to the ocean. =How rude!=  
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Ah...another chapter done! Finally! Again, I apologize for the delay. Special Thanks to my first two reviewers! Y'all are soooooo nice. Hmm...time frame for the next chapter....I dunno, maybe by the end of this week. I have a research paper due Friday, so I may not get to post it till Saturday, depends. Anywho...watch for the next part of Chapter. 2: You're Always On My Mind pt. 2. Remember to Read and Review!  
Ja Ne! Pearl Da Super Soccer Onna 


	3. 2 pt2: You're Always On My Mind

A/N: Alright! Another chapter to add to the list. YES! I've been writing this (before I even posted pt. 1) so I can make everything flow before I put out the final copy. This chapter is just gonna roll from where I left off, so don't worry, you didn't miss anything!  
  
Disclaimer: AHHHH! I SEE THE VULTURES! AWAY! I DON'T OWN IT!  
  
Chapter Three: 2. You're Always On My Mind pt. 2  
  
Vegeta walked up to the shore and watched as Goku lazily tossed Gohan in the air, waited ten seconds, then caught his son. Gohan was laughing like crazy, flinging his arms around as if he couldn't fly. He waded into the water and waited till Gohan was back in Goku's arms before calling out to him.  
  
"Kakarot! Come here. I want to talk to you."  
  
Goku, by then, had thrown Gohan up in the air, and missed the kid by ten feet. Gohan hit the ocean floor, legs flailing about. The father picked up his son by the ankle.  
  
"Gohan, are you ok?"  
  
A tiny crab was holding onto the boy's nose. "Yeah," he replied a bit nasally, "I'm ok." Goku set Gohan into the water, then walked over to Vegeta. "What's up?"  
  
"It's about what you interrupted earlier, you---"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Gosh 'Geta, I'm sorry for just running up to you like that. I would've gone back to Chi Chi, but I thought you sensed me and---"  
  
"Never mind about that Kakarot. What happened between the Onna and I is our own business and if---"  
  
"Yeah, I know, I know. You don't want me to tell anyone, right?" Goku frowned. ^What's this guy's problem? Is he ashamed of liking her?^  
  
"What makes you think I was going to say that, baka?"  
  
Goku blinked. Did he miss something? "Weren't you going to tell me that?"  
  
Vegeta sighed, something Goku had never seen or heard him do. "I was hoping to not go THAT far." A smirk appeared on his face. "I just wanted to tell you to butt out and mind your own. Got it?"  
  
Goku smirked too and nodded. "You still don't want me to tell anyone?"  
  
"Not unless they ask, but even then act stupid, which is natural for you anyway."  
  
Goku frowned. "Them's fightin words where I come from!"  
  
Vegeta got into a fighter's stance, ready to spar. But, as fate would have it, his sparring session was interrupted...again.  
  
"GOKU! VEGETA! FOOD'S READY!!" A blur of black, orange, and tan was all Vegeta saw, then an empty spot where his sparring partner had been. He looked towards their "camp" site and saw the taller warrior hopping from foot to foot with a paper plate in his hand, drool nearly coming out of his mouth.  
  
"Bakayaro," he muttered, walking towards the food.  
  
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Vegeta sat back in his beach chair, stomach full and happy. He felt like taking a nap, making up for the one he missed, but the brat kept complaining about wanting to return to the ocean.  
  
"Gohan, how many millions of times do I have to tell you that you need to wait at least thirty minutes before you go swimming again!?!?"  
  
"Aww, but mom-"  
  
"No buts about it mister, and don't make me hafta tell you again!" Frying pan in hand, Son Chi Chi turned around and headed towards her target. "GOKU!! GOKU COME HERE BEFORE I..." Her sentence trailed off as she continued to look for her husband.  
  
"Stupid, harpy woman. It's a wonder how Kakarot can put up with her for so long."  
  
"As if you could stay committed to any one person yourself, mister."  
  
Vegeta turned towards the source of the voice, to the right of him, who sat on a towel. Bulma crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Goku loves her, and that's what counts."  
  
"Love? Bah, human emotions. It will be the end of him someday."  
  
"Better to have died for a good cause, than none at all." The Prince scowled at her words, finding that by some miracle, she was right. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, looking at the fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. "I hate to admit this, but you're right."  
  
"I am?!" she squeaked.  
  
"If only I had died with my planet, instead of dying on Namek. Perhaps things would've gone slightly better for me. These past twenty years have been a waste of time."  
  
"VEGETA!" Bulma stated. "Don't say things like that! It wasn't a waste of time. You got to see the tyrant that killed your people die by Saiya-jin hands. Wasn't that worth something?"  
  
"You don't understand, do you? He should've died by MY hands. Not Kakarot's, not that future boy's, but MINE. I'm the PRINCE of the Saiya- jin race. I was supposed to be the first to ascend, the strongest in the universe. I've been outsmarted and overpowered by a bakayaro and a half- breed brat. When I die, it will be for nothing."  
  
Bulma closed her eyes. Trying to get him to understand would be like telling a college professor that grades meant nothing. She gritted her teeth. Look at what Frieza had done to him! Brainwashed to be the strongest, and if not, you were as good as dead. =But, what about the Androids? Has he already given up that subject too?= She looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. How could she get it through his thick skull?  
  
"What about the Androids? Don't tell me you're just gonna sit at home and watch TV from now on."  
  
Vegeta's smirk encouraged her. "Don't be silly, Onna. I'm still going to train, I'm still going to be a Super Saiya-jin...I'm still going to kick Android ass, and I'm still going to kick Kakarot to the moon and back. Any questions, comments, concerns?"  
  
Bulma smiled; Vegeta was actually trying to be funny! If only he would show more of this side, but then again, he wouldn't be the same Vegeta. "How bout...you be my hero when you go fight those 'tin cans', as you like to call them."  
  
"Be your hero?"  
  
"Yeah. Chi Chi has someone fighting for her, and it would be nice to have someone fight for me, not against me."  
  
"What about your foolish boyfriend?"  
  
"Psssht, are you kidding me? He's never fought for me! He only runs and hides behind me when danger lurks. So whadda ya say?" Vegeta looked skeptical. "Ok, ok. I won't make a fuss about fixing the GR anymore."  
  
"And you'll have all my meals ready, on time. After all, us 'heroes' need food."  
  
"It's a deal! Pact?" She extended her hand towards him. "Pact," he said, taking her hand in his. For a moment, he thought of a face long ago, one that he had made a pact with. Instead, he shook the memory from his mind, liking the view of the face that was right in front of him.  
  
"Onna."  
  
"Hmm?" she began to wonder when and how she wound up sitting in his lap.  
  
"Some heroes would also like back rubs. Helps the muscles relax, and letting them gain more to pound others with."  
  
"As if you needed anymore muscles."  
  
"If I'm to protect you, then yeah, I need more muscles."  
  
The blue-eyed beauty sighed, standing up and spreading a blanket in front of the chair. "Alright, alright. You win. But I'd like to get a back rub every once in a while. I'm the one who earns the money to feed, clothe, and keep the shelter of your head."  
  
Vegeta shot her a genuine smile as he rested on the blanket, folding his arms under his chin. Bulma smiled back at him, watching as his eyes grew heavy as she continued to message his back. Her soft humming made the half- way closed eyes close completely, his breathing deep and rhythmic.  
  
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
A/N: Phew, that chapter was kinda hard to write, mainly cuz I started developing mild symptoms of Writer's Block-itis....**gasp!** But don't worry, I've overcome it and I'm ready for the next chappie! Actually, this chapter didn't go as planned, but oh well, does a fic ever go the way someone wants it to? OH! And a VERY special thanxz to all my reviewers:  
  
Rane: thankies much! Goat: glad ya like it DBZFAN: heh...I used to hate fluff, but now I use it sparingly (except for this 2 part chappie) anon: hey anonymous person! Thanx for reviewing! Chibi z fighter: thanx Eclipse75: yeah, I try to stay away from those "average" V/B's...this one is definitely gonna be unique umm: gee...I wonder what'll happen next?? Hmm...lol...I know! Samantha: didn't expect them to kiss so soon? Neither did I, but heck, it happened! Like I said, this is gonna be a unique ficcy!  
  
Well, thanks to everyone for their review, and please keep reviewing, they keep me motivated. Stay on the look out for my next chapter: 3. You're the Root of All My Problems:: Vegeta starts his intensive training for ascending to the next level, both physically and mentally, knowing that he now has something, or someone, to fight for! Until next time..........  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	4. 3: You're The Root of All My Problems

A/N: After surviving my first case of Writer's Block-itis, I feel like I'm on a roll. I'm hoping to continue this fic, but I'm in no big hurry to finish. I just don't want to drag out any scenes (like I did in the last two chapters). Well, I've read some long fics like "Opposites Attract" and "An Alternate Love" (both by Hella) and noticed that though the beginning was kinda rocky, it got going and was very detailed as time and chapters went on. That's what I'm hoping will happen to this fic. **sigh** weeeeellllll, get ready for this chapter, it's long and it'll be a bit more on the serious side...  
  
Disclaimer: Why do I have to do this chapter, after chapter, after chapter...  
  
:::::::::SPECIAL NOTE:::::::::: "~/words/~" are Veggie's thoughts...ff.net was being weird about these my other symbols so I changed it!  
  
Chapter Four: 3. You're the Root of All My Problems  
  
Kick...punch, punch...kick, kick, dodge. After the first fifteen or so rounds of battling with a bot that had been programmed to repeat the same moves over and over again, it could get a little, well...annoying. Standing with legs spread slightly apart, the training warrior blasted the battle bot with one of his newest and bug-less moves, the Big Bang Attack. A smirk etched itself into his features as scraps and pieces of metal flew at various angles, ricocheting off the walls and landing in heaps. Ah, destruction was sweeter than honey. That was his job, his living. Some people built things, others programmed things, but he...Heh Heh...destroyed them.  
  
His previous day of vacation had proved worthwhile. The muscles that needed rest were solid, ready to strengthen, and his mind, well...that would need some working on. He mentally cursed himself for being so...gah, he couldn't even find the word for it. That tiny woman who was somewhere on the premises, he gathered (thanks to his finely tuned ki-sensing ability), managed to find a permanent place in his mind. If anything, the very thought of her was holding him back. And that promise he had made...ARGH! How could he have been so foolish as to promise to protect her? But a Saiya-jin word was an unbreakable promise, and as the Prince of said people, he had to be an example (despite the fact that there was a full-blooded idiot and half-breed under his command, but who cares about the little details?).  
  
Kick, kick...punch, dodge...kick, punch, punch, kick. ~/Another blasted training bot...how much time did that woman have on her hands?????/~ To say that Vegeta was upset would be the understatement of the millennium. Anger didn't fit the bill, neither did hate...so what was it? Those were the only two emotions he was used to. He growled in frustration. Powering up slightly, he threw an array of ki blasts at the poor, unsuspecting robot. It disintegrated, giving one final click before disappearing forever. Much better. Coal-colored eyes looked around the room, noting that he had finally destroyed ALL of the bots. ~/The Onna is going to be ticked.../~ he thought, looking at the scorch marks and piles of debris. He took one step forward, only to stop dead in his tracks...  
  
...since when did he care about her emotions?...  
  
Well, we learn something new everyday. It has only been one day since the kiss...he frowned, the memory flashing through his mind's eye. ~/Ah, so now we're down to that./~ His frown deepened. A sudden realization hit him faster than any ki-ball could. He had feelings for the Onna! Vegeta, the Crown Prince of his planet, had feelings for the Onna!! It was almost too much to bear.  
  
He put his hand to his forehead, shaking his head, and headed towards the door. It seemed as though this was going to be one of those days.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bulma often wondered what went on inside a Saiya-jin's head. Not that she absolutely needed to know, but it was kinda like those weird mysteries, or one of the seven wonders of the world, Saiya-jins making the count go up to eight. Vegeta had come into the kitchen, as he usually did about this time, but instead of making his way to the table, walked up to her, placed her hand on his forehead and asked if he had a temperature.  
  
"No..." she had said, unsure of why he needed to know that. He nodded, and walked right out of the kitchen, not even paying attention to the food on the table.  
  
If there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that Vegeta was an enigma, a tower of strength. Though one couldn't lean on him for support (he'd usually let you fall flat on your face), he could boost your confidence level by encouraging you, even if that wasn't his goal.  
  
"Show no fear, feel no fear, know no fear," is his motto, and a pretty good one at that. Bulma herself had a weakness for letting her emotions show without screening them.  
  
@^ flashback @^  
  
Before her final break-up with Yamcha, Bulma had another fight with him. He came to Capsule Corp. drunk, wanting to take Bulma out to a club and party till morning. The blue-haired genius, however, had a big meeting the following morning, and couldn't afford to miss it. The drunk warrior broke his current bottle on the sidewalk (they had moved out into the yard so as not to disturb the sleeping household) and held it to Bulma's stomach, threatening her.  
  
"Scream, and I'll kill you," he warned.  
  
"Yamcha, please. You're drunk; go home and get sobered up," she had pleaded in a quivering voice. Her boyfriend never got to reply...her hero had come to the rescue for the first time ever. He punched out Yamcha, deposited him in the car he had arrived in, and caught Bulma before she had fallen.  
  
"Vegeta?"  
  
"Hush woman, I'll get you back inside." A minute later, he set her down on her big bed, and jumped back when she burst into tears. "I can't believe him!" Bulma whispered. Vegeta pulled the covers up to her chin. "What if he does it again? Gosh, I'm so scared!"  
  
"Go to sleep Onna. I can assure you that he won't wake up for a long time." A smirk ended that matter.  
  
"But I'm **yawn** scared..." her eyes began to droop.  
  
"Show no fear, feel no fear, know no fear..." he whispered to her, just loud enough for her to hear.  
  
@^ end of flashback @^  
  
Bulma smiled. Yup, Vegeta had come a long way since then. Ok, so it's only been five months since that incident. But when she was around him she felt, I dunno, safe. Secure. With him around, she felt as though no one could lay a harmful finger on her, something she hadn't felt since she was a little girl. Perhaps there was something else to Vegeta. He wasn't all that bad, she could testify to that. On occasion, even before the whole "vacation incident" from the day before, they could lounge around the house, not a bad thought or smart ass comment passing through their lips at each other. Heck, he even gave her half decent smiles when she did him a much needed favor! =Maybe, if this whole friendship thing works out, I can get him to open up more! I hope he'll let me, after all, he is my hero. **grins** =  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Coal colored eyes threatened to burn holes into the ceiling. He wasn't exactly sure how long he had been lying there, but he estimated it to be about a half an hour or so. His mind was all jumbled up, confusion surfacing, no, seeping through every pore in his body. Yeah, he sure goofed up in this department. The young man had been trained to show no emotion, after all, emotion was the downfall of every baka that ever graced the universe. Look at his father! He was a prime example of dangerous emotions. But the Prince couldn't dwell on that now...it would only make matters worse.  
  
Now he was stuck on this mud ball of a planet for the rest of his life (or whenever the Onna decided to get herself a mate). Psht, some way to live, eh? Sure, he could've easily slapped her hand away, rebuked her on that very spot for such an idea...but...the way she looked at him at that moment. Vegeta couldn't, wouldn't, erase that image of her from his mind. Her eyes seemed to tell him that she needed him. And his nightmare from the previous night didn't help much either.....  
  
*^*^Dream/Nightmare^*^*  
  
Darkness enveloped him. All he could see was the pitch-blackness of his surroundings. He brought his hand up to his face, bearly making out the outline. Then, the whole scene fizzed and swirled, showing a city partially destroyed. Billows of smoke floated out of buildings, fires blazed. It was as if some apocalyptic movie scene came to life.  
  
Vegeta flew upwards, just enough to see the entire city. Hn, his suspicions were correct. Half the city had been leveled, the other half nearly there. He looked towards a sign, trying to figure out where he was....  
  
"West City," his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.  
  
"Oi, Vegeta! Are you just going to stand there and let the city die?"  
  
The Saiya-jin Elite turned around, coming face to face with, "Kakarot? What's going on?" The third class warrior tilted his head towards the burning city. "The Androids, remember? One of 'em must've whacked you hard on the head."  
  
"Enough, fool. Where are they now?"  
  
A strange look passed over Goku's face, one that Vegeta didn't like. "That's why I've come to get you. Ya know those com-links Bulma gave us?"  
  
Vegeta had no idea, it was just a dream. But to save complications, and get straight to the point, he nodded. "Well, Bulma called and said she picked up some fast movements on the radar on C.C. grounds. She wants us to go check it out. Thinks its the Androids, and she's afraid that the baby might try to go after them."  
  
~/BABY?! NANI?! What baby? Bah, never mind.../~ "Kakarot, use your instant transmission."  
  
"Right."  
  
((Capsule Corp.))  
  
The sense of de ja vu quickly vanished as Vegeta regained his bearings. They were in Dr. Briefs' lab...standing next to the wide-eyed, shell shocked man. Vegeta grabbed the old man's shoulders and turned him so they were face to face. "Where's the Onna?"  
  
His response was a blink.  
  
"Where's Bulma?"  
  
Another blink. Vegeta's left eye twitched. He shook the doctor's shoulders and repeated his question. Nothing. It was as if he were talking to a wall. But hope seemed to smile down on Vegeta as the older man's mouth opened.  
  
"She's..." he closed his eyes and mouth, inhaling deeply. "She's in her lab...with...the...baby. T-The Androids fol...lowed us inside..."  
  
"Blast it old man! Spit it out!"  
  
"Bulma built a gun, strong one...shot up the Androids and locked up her lab. Haven't heard from her since..." Dr. Briefs passed out, causing Vegeta to get annoyed. Ok, the dream in itself annoyed him...but he had to get to Bulma and the baby...whoever the baby was.  
  
He carefully opened up the Lab door, followed by Goku, and lightly walked down the hall. ~/Why did that Onna have to have the lab farthest from the rest of the house?!/~ His gold-tipped boots lightly clicked on the linoleum floor, and for once, Vegeta wished he was wearing sneakers. Goku's boots also clicked, and soon they walked in unison.  
  
Bulma's door seemed to have gotten taller to the Prince, but this detail was not important to him. He typed in the password, hoping to end this weird, random dream. With a hiss, the door opened, revealing a dark room with only one overhead light on. The two Saiya-jins ventured further into the lab, the smell of smoke and charred wires filling their nostrils. Vegeta took two steps and stopped. Something sticky yet slippery was on the bottom of his boots. He cautiously looked down...  
  
...blood...  
  
Who's blood, was the question. He gulped, an overwhelming sense of fear sweeping through his body. But this fear wasn't of the predator, he knew he could take on any challenge...but the prey, well, he really didn't want to know who it was. ~/Show no fear, feel no fear, know no fear,/~ he repeated to himself in his mind.  
  
One table turned over. A chair askew from the rest. Then a shoe-covered foot. His eyes followed the foot to the leg, the waist, then up to the face. Dead. She was dead. Ki no longer radiated from her body. Her beautiful blue hair was matted with blood, body sprawled out on the floor and covered in blood. He fell to his knees, swallowing the sob that had threatened to come. It had been years since he had cried, and he didn't feel like crying out in the open, in front of his rival. Later, yeah, he could crawl into a corner and cry all he wanted. But not now.  
  
Goku gasped, grabbing Vegeta's shoulder. "Vegeta," he whispered, "look." He pointed to a spot a few feet away from Bulma's body. A smaller body, belonging to a child no older than one, was also sprawled out. It's locks of lavender hair were not tinted with blood, but it was clear that the child was also dead. Vegeta could feel something warm traveling down his cheeks. He reached up and touched it, looking at his gloved hands. Tears...  
  
Goku's hand still rested on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. Nobody should have to loose his family this way..."  
  
*^*^End of Nightmare^*^*  
  
Vegeta had awakened and gone out to train, not being able to get back to sleep. Now his body was screaming at him. Lack of food + lack of sleep = bitter/unhappy Saiya-jin. There wasn't any time to dwell on the dream now. He could do that later. For now, he would just have to train harder.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta stood in the doorway of the kitchen, content with hearing the woman sing along with the radio (even if her constant singing DID get annoying). He felt like insulting her, making up for their daily verbal spouts he had missed. But the irritating pounding from his headache reminded him that he wasn't up for a battle of wits.  
  
The DJ popped in some commercials on the radio station, making Bulma turn down the volume. She looked towards the door and noticed her houseguest leaning against the frame, arms crossed, as always.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey yourself," he growled.  
  
"Rough day?"  
  
"What ever gave you that idea?" he replied sarcastically.  
  
"Headache? Most people do get one when they don't eat and go out to exercise." Vegeta just grunted from his spot. Bulma shrugged; hey, she was trying! "Alright, caveman. Sit down, dinner will be ready in a minute." He sat down, elbow propped up on the table, head in hand.  
  
"How long have I been out?"  
  
"You were sleeping? Hmm...you came in at about, I'd say...one o'clock. A solid four hours. It's five now."  
  
"Great..." he muttered. Another wasted day of training. Then he remembered... "What happened to my lunch?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Goku and Chi Chi came by to pick up their car (I had to fix the power steering pump), and your lunch just sat there, getting cold. I offered it to Goku, and he happily ate it."  
  
Vegeta frowned. ~/Leave it to Kakarot to get all the breaks. I'm stuck here, with a headache, unable to train with all these RANDOM distractions, and can't even go Super yet!.../~  
  
"WHAT AM I MISSING??"  
  
Bulma blinked, staring at Vegeta. "Huh?"  
  
"What part of the puzzle am I missing?" Bulma blinked again, looking at the table. =...I don't see a puzzle...= "What on Earth are you talking about?"  
  
Vegeta looked at her and sweat-dropped. ~/-_-;;; I didn't think I had said that out loud./~ "Nothing Onna. Don't worry about it."  
  
"If you say so Geta."  
  
Coal eyes narrowed. "Don't call me that."  
  
"Call you what?"  
  
"That 'nickname', as you humans put it. It's alright for animals, but not me. My name is Vegeta."  
  
"Well, my name is Bulma, but you find it fit to call me 'Onna'. So, until you starting saying MY REAL name, I'll call you whatever I want." She slammed the last plate of food on the table, ending her part of the conversation. The heiress of Capsule Corp. turned around swiftly, grabbing her keys and headed for the back door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Vegeta demanded.  
  
"Out," and the door slammed behind her.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Well, that wasn't the "beautiful" start of the friendship I was aiming for, but hey, I know where I'm going with this!...sort of... Any who....my next chapter hits the angsty side. Veggie starts to feel like a heel for snapping at Bulma, and Bulma feels like a terd for pushing his button after a hard day of training. Both start to get anxious, and pride tries to get in the way. Will these two be able to set everything aside? **GASP** Or will they be doomed to be apart forever?!?!  
  
Lol...sorry. Random "DBZ Announcer" person moment. Plz Read and Review, and look out for my next chapter: 4. You Never Give Up !!!  
  
Special shout out to: Kat421 and afk! Thanx for the compliments and keep sending in those reviews!!!!  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	5. 4: You Never Give Up

A/N: Eek! I never thought that I would ever get a series of chapters out, but I'm doing it! GO ME! Hee Hee! I went and saw X-Men 2 a few Fridays ago, and I loved it! Though, it could've ended a lil better. Oh well, it was still good.  
  
Ok, back to my fic. Ya know how I said this was going to be a bit angsty? Well, it'll have a bit of angst in it, but not too much. That'll come in later chapters. This chapter is probably going to be another long one, so grab a pillow and sit in a comfortable chair!  
  
Disclaimer: **sigh** I don't own DBZ, nor do I own X-Men 2. **breaks out into sob**  
  
Chapter Five: 4. You Never Give Up  
  
Vegeta cleared the table, deciding to be half way decent to the Onna, though his mind clearly protested. His dream, nightmare, whatever, from the night before resurfaced, giving him a slight headache. Was this a premonition? Did his future self go through this? Was the child in the vision his, or someone else's? Ugh, what a way to live. All this over a dream? Better to move on with life.  
  
He slumped down on the couch in the large living room of the Brief's mansion, something he considered "un-Princely" to do. At the moment, he didn't care. For some odd reason, he was feeling guilty (yet again) for snapping at Bulma. He hadn't meant to, he just hated the fact that she was asking him all these questions, and rambling on about absolutely nothing. Now she was out there, doing Kami-knows what, probably very...angry...and on anger/hate/death mode.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bulma held the tissue to the corner of her right eye, dabbing away at false tears. "Poor Wolverine!" she sighed, earning a few glares from other movie- goers. She glared back, Vegeta Style, causing the irritated to return to the movie. Hey, she couldn't help it if her favorite character was having nightmares!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Click. "That's right folks! The Presto-Matic can be yours for-" Click. "But Johnny! I don't understand! I thought you loved me-" Click. "...tomorrow's forecast shows light rain for mid-morning, and thunderstorms for afternoon and evening hours." Click. "I love you, you love me-" Click. Vegeta's eye twitched. That gay, purple beast reminded him, frighteningly enough, of Frieza. He shuddered, turning it to the movie channel section. He was watching, but not paying attention, his mind being else where.  
  
Obviously, the nightmare was a product of some unknown fea- no, not fear. He was just worried...worried that he might not be able to protect the Onna, especially if he wasn't a Super Saiya-jin. What was the secret, the...password, for ascending? Was he totally missing something? And if he couldn't ascend in time, would he not be able to protect Bulma as he had promised? It was all very frustrating.  
  
He could contact Kakarot...what a sickening thought. But at the moment, he was desperate. And as the saying goes "desperate times call for desperate actions".  
  
"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" he muttered, reaching for the phone.  
  
Vegeta had seen Bulma do it hundreds of times. She picked up the receiver, pressed "talk", dialed some random numbers and began talking. He had also noticed that each person had a different number. A sad concept. Whatever happened to just talking through bonds? Ah well, might as well get used to the thing. He picked up the phone book (having seen the Doctor use it), and looked under the white pages for "Son". The poor Prince was soon faced with one hundred different people under "Son", none with the first name "Kakarot".  
  
~/What was it that they called him? Tofu...Frufu...Goku...ah, that's it. Goku./~  
  
"Son Goku...Mt. Paozu /// 555-6734."  
  
The phone rang three times before being answered by a disgustingly sweet voice.  
  
"Moshi Moshi!"  
  
"Put Kakarot on."  
  
"V-Vegeta? Sorry, Goku can't come on now. He's sparring with Gohan."  
  
"Well get him on then, Harpy Onna!"  
  
"Alright! Don't go bossing me around, Mr. High-and-Mighty!" A minute passed, Goku picking up the phone.  
  
"Hey Vegeta. What's up?"  
  
"I can't go Super, that's what's up."  
  
Goku chuckled, annoying Vegeta to no end. "Oh, so that's it. Don't sweat it Vegeta. It'll come on it's own. Give it time!"  
  
"Eight months of training with the Gravity Machine, and the greater part of my life spent training has been ample amount of time! How did you ascend? You didn't even know you were Saiya-jin till two years ago!"  
  
"I dunno, 'Geta. It sorta just...happened. Frieza killed Krillin for no good reason, and seeing that made me...well..."  
  
"Ticked?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm not saying that anger is a good thing, but maybe the fact that I was fighting for someone I grew up with helped. Krillin was, and still is, my best friend. Mess with him and you mess with me."  
  
Vegeta stared at the rug, absorbing this lesson in life. No one that was that close to him was still alive. One would think that with all that has happened to him, he would've ascended long ago.  
  
"Oh Vegeta? Last night...was everything ok over there?"  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"I felt this really big influx of ki coming from over there, as if someone had powered up...or even gone Super! I've been meaning to get a hold of ya and ask."  
  
"Everything is fine Kakarot." His ears picked up the sound of keys jingling in the lock. "The Onna is back..."  
  
"Uh, Chi is telling me that I need to go get Gohan from Piccolo. I'll talk to ya later Veg." He hung up the phone, Vegeta doing the same.  
  
Bulma walked in, five tissues bunched up in her hand, sniffling and slurping on a coke. Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, watching her. "What?" she huffed, glaring at him as best she could.  
  
"What's the matter with you?"  
  
"Jean died! One of the best women-X-Men in the whole series died!!"  
  
Vegeta blinked, then blinked again. ~/Jean? Who's Jean?/~ He shook his head. Why complicate things more? "I love that movie," the blue-eyed woman sighed, sitting next to him on the couch. "So, what have you been doin' while I was gone?"  
  
"Nothing really. I didn't feel like training." Bulma gasped. She reached out and touched his forehead, earning a small chuckle from him. "Don't worry," he grabbed her hand, holding it in both of his. "I'm in my right mind."  
  
"Ah. You must've been thinking then." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Whatcha been thinking bout?"  
  
Vegeta wanted to pull away the moment her hair even hit his shoulder, but decided against it. A quiet Onna was the best Onna. He didn't feel like putting up with her squawking tonight. He looked down at her small hand. Though his hands weren't overly large, hers looked so fragile in his own.  
  
"The future."  
  
"Hmm?" Bulma had already given up on getting an answer.  
  
"I've been thinking about the future. My training, the Androids...some future, huh?" He tried to look at her face.  
  
Bulma smiled up at him. "Yeah," she sat up and faced him. "I've often wondered what it would've been like if the Androids had never been built, if we could've just lived here, on Earth, without that worry."  
  
"I wouldn't have stayed here. I would've returned to space."  
  
"And go where? Not back to Frieza."  
  
"Anywhere, I suppose."  
  
Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her chin on his shoulder, squeezing in between him and the back of the couch. "I can't imagine you not being here, Vegeta." She cracked a smirk. "Life would've been dull without your mug around."  
  
Vegeta also smirked, leaning back. He heard Bulma wheeze and struggle. "You're just saying that," he replied in an oh-so-innocent tone. "Come on...I don't wanna die this way!" He stopped and her flailing arms rested on his body, this time wrapping around his abdomen. "Admit it V-chan, you like having me around too!"  
  
"I'll admit that you do add to my training in the psychological department." Bulma whacked him in the back of the head. "OW! Onna..." he growled.  
  
She dived out from behind him, standing off to the side, hands on hips in a taunting fashion. "What are ya gonna do about it, Veggie?" Another growl escaped from the Saiya-jin's throat, a feral grin crawling onto his face. Faster than the human eye can see, he wrestled Bulma to the ground and began his attack. Tickle time!  
  
"AH HAHAHAHA! VEGETA! NO FAIR! HAHAHAHA!!!" the human kicked, laughing till her face turned red and tears streamed down her cheeks. Vegeta laughed along with her, enjoying every minute of it. He finally slowed down, then stopped, flopping onto his back while both recovered. His eyes snapped over to Bulma as he saw her get up on her knees, an evil smirk gracing her face. "Onna, what are you-"  
  
He abruptly stopped when her fingers went to each side of his rib cage, moving in a tickling fashion. The Prince soon found it hard to keep the laughing in, and burst right out, causing Bulma to find other targets on his body. "WO-WOMAN! HAAHAHAHAHA!!!" His face soon tinted into a cherry colored tone, tears began to stream down his face. Bulma stopped, laughing and rolling on the ground.  
  
"You're ticklish!" she laughed, pointing at him. Vegeta grinned, deciding not to attack her again. "So are you," he replied, coolly. Bulma rested her head on his stomach, happy that they had "made-up", friends again. She could feel his stomach rise and fall in a pattern that soon matched her own. It was times like these that she wished would never end.  
  
"Why?" she heard him ask after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why don't you ever give up on me, Onna?"  
  
"Cuz you're my friend, silly! Besides, like I told you on the beach, there's more to ya than meets the eye. I know you're not a cold-hearted bakayaro...but you're like the rest of us. You feel things, though you may not understand it all. But they taught you to not have any feelings, right?"  
  
"Yeah," he muttered, closing his eyes and folding his arms under his head.  
  
"You think of me as you're friend, don't ya?"  
  
"Onna, I don't know what to think of you...other than you're some crazy female, helping me get to my goal." He looked down at her and offered a small smile. "Thanks."  
  
Bulma smiled back. "What are friends for?" Both of them soon settled back, letting sleep claim their bodies.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
By the time Bulma woke up, it was 7 AM...time to fix breakfast for Vegeta...and she was lying on the couch, wrapped up in one of her favorite blankets. Sliding and stretching off the couch, she noticed one very peculiar thing.  
  
She wasn't the only person in the room.  
  
Normally, she would've started to scream her head off, but most people (humans anyway) didn't have naturally spiked hair. The person in question had an arm and a leg dangling lazily off the couch, with the blanket pulled up to their forehead. Bulma snickered. What a Kodak moment this would've been!  
  
**BING!**  
  
Ah ha! Yes...perfect blackmail photo. She quietly tiptoed to the hall closet, constantly looking over her shoulder at the still-sleeping figure on the couch. After digging for the blasted camera, it finally hit her in the head...literally! Bulma caught it with the greatest of ease, letting a silent sigh escape her lips. Another round of tiptoeing, and she was beside her prey, setting the camera. =ACK! What about the flash? That's bound to wake him up!= She could only hope for one thing...that he would at least give her a ten second start before he killed her.  
  
=Steady hands Bulma, that's the key. Take picture, high tail your big butt outta here, and pray to God that Veg-head doesn't notice...= The blue- haired woman took a few deep breaths, set the camera, yanked the blanket off of Vegeta's face, and took the picture. She did a Matrix as she jumped over the couch, hiding behind it. Peeking over the top of it, she felt her stomach grow anxious.  
  
He hadn't waken up yet! All nervousness went out the window as she looked at the little screen on her digital camera. OH! This picture was priceless indeed. She hadn't time to notice, but a tiny drop of drool was hanging precariously from the corner of the Prince's mouth. Even his mouth was slightly open! Ha HA! =Wait till Chi sees this!!! **lol**=  
  
A shadow loomed over her crouched figure. **gulp!** Dare she look? Could it be? Her cerulean eyes looked up into the face of the shadow. Oh boy...  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, eerily calm.  
  
"Eh, heh," she hid the camera behind her back. "Nothing-"  
  
"Don't lie to me woman. What is that behind your back?"  
  
"It's nothing, really! Just wanting to go take some shots of nature...heh heh..." she gulped again, now standing, the camera digging into her back between herself and the couch. Vegeta reached behind her with his right arm, making her move the camera off to her right side. He then reached with his left, now leaving her no choice...but, there was still hope!  
  
Vegeta's eyebrows drew together in a puzzled fashion. Where was that...thing? ~/She dropped it on the couch...smart.../~ He tried to look behind her, but found that he was not able to. Bulma had locked her mouth over his, stopping him from seeing whatever it was that she was hiding.  
  
"Mmf?" she squeaked, realizing that she was in a sticky situation. Vegeta pulled away slowly, his mind jumbled up again. Confusion was clearly written on his face. Bulma felt childish, having done that. What was he thinking of her now?  
  
Vegeta felt delighted and depressed. Was that combination possible? Another kiss, this time from the Onna. But was it because she wanted to, or because she was hiding that certain item? He frowned. She couldn't be that heartless...could she?  
  
"Vegeta...I- I just took a pic of you sleeping on the couch." She smiled. "You looked really cu-" Vegeta placed his hand over her mouth. "Don't say that word." She pulled his hand away.  
  
"Alright, alright! You looked like you were enjoying your sleep. Happy?"  
  
"Somewhat."  
  
"What do you want me to do? Kiss ya?"  
  
The Prince smirked. "That would make me feel better." Bulma's smirk matched his own. "I thought so." They kissed again, enjoying every second of it. But Bulma pulled away first...she had to breathe...give her a break...  
  
"Phew...gosh V-chan! You like to dominate everything, don't you?"  
  
"Of course. It's in my blood. Now, go make me breakfast before I decide to start nibbling on you." Bulma giggled, pulling out of his embrace.  
  
They walked into the kitchen, the sun shinning brightly through the window. Bulma pulled out various foods, cooking different things at once. The phone rang, pulling her attention away. Vegeta's eyes followed her.  
  
"Moshi Moshi!"  
  
"Hey B, it's Chi Chi!"  
  
"Oh, hey Chi! What's up?"  
  
"Well, I was talking with Goku, and we came up with this wonderful idea. Why don't we have a party, kinda like a 'if I don't see you for the next two years, good luck with training' type."  
  
"That sounds awesome! When should we have it?"  
  
"Hmm...today is Tuesday, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"How bout Friday?"  
  
"Ooo, sorry, not Friday. I've got this huge business meeting, and I'll have to fly to Central to go to it. Mom and Dad will be back this Thursday, so they'll take care of things around here."  
  
"What about Saturday?"  
  
"Great! I should be back by Friday evening...and everyone will be able to come."  
  
"Just one thing..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Should I invite Yamcha?"  
  
Bulma frowned. She jumped a bit when she felt Vegeta tap her on the shoulder. He pointed towards the stove, and Bulma scurried over, not wanting the food to burn.  
  
"It's you're call Chi Chi. Your party, you make the decision."  
  
"Alright. Oh, and can we have it at Capsule Corp.?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"We'll bring food over Friday, and I'll be there early Saturday so we can start cooking. With three Saiyans, I doubt we'll be able to keep up. Speaking of Saiyans, I hear my boys crying for their breakfast. Talk to ya later B."  
  
"Bye." Bulma set the receiver on the hook, then walked to the stove to dish up Vegeta's breakfast. "There's gonna be a party here on Saturday."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"It's kinda like a final goodbye, everyone is going off to train, so Chi is having a lil get together. Exciting, ne?"  
  
"I'm ecstatic," he replied, stuffing a fork-full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.  
  
Bulma grinned. =Be sarcastic all you want, bud. But you are gonna help out with this party whether you like it or not!=  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
A/N: Another chapter down...a billion more to go! At least it seems that way. Hope y'all enjoyed that chapter, and don't forget to REVIEW!!!  
  
Special thanx to my reviewers!!!:  
  
Kat 421: Thanx for putting this on your fav stories list! You're SOOOOOO SWEET!  
  
Afk: Aww, thanxz billions! I couldn't have B and V mad at each other forever though...but this story is only half way finished! ^_~  
  
Anonymous: Err...yeah, I know Bulma is Japanese. But ya see, in my lil world, the Earthlings say "Saiyan", and Vegeta pronounces it "Saiya-jin". It's just for the stories sake......  
  
Nishshongo Grohochari: I'm glad that you're interested and I hope that you keep reading my fic!!  
  
Again, thanxz to all who reviewed!  
  
Watch out for my next Chapter: 5. You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broken :::: Bulma goes on the business trip from hell, while Vegeta is cooped up in the house with two crazy old people! What's a guy to do? The party begins, and soon, Bulma and Veggie might not be the best kept secret!!!  
  
Until next time.......  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	6. 5: You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broken

A/N: This is mainly going to switch back and forth from Bulma's business trip to Vegeta's never-ending torture! MUAHAHAHAHA! I hope you enjoy, and plz remember to review! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Is it really that important? Y'all know I don't own it....  
  
Heh heh heh...sowwy...I changed Veggie's thought symbols AGAIN: now they're "[~ words ~]", much easier to read.  
  
Ch. 6: 5. You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broken  
  
When he first walked in, he vaguely wondered what hellish fury had hit the room. Her normally neat and tidy living space was covered with clothes and suitcases. It was only a two day trip! He cautiously took a step, fearing that his foot may be eaten by some clothing monster, or that it would get caught in a booby trap. "Onna," he called, looking around the room.  
  
"I'm right here 'Geta." She walked out of her enormous closet, blouses slung over her shoulders. "Your father says to hurry or you'll miss the plane. Though I can't see why you're taking that primitive transportation. I could just as easily fly you there." Vegeta heard her giggle.  
  
"I know silly. But the corporate exec.'s like to make a big deal outta everything, and they're going to supposedly 'surprise' me with a huge reception at the airport." She rolled her eyes. "Believe me when I say---I DON'T WANNA GO!"  
  
Vegeta's hands clamped over his ears. [~ Crazy Woman! Trying to make me deaf! ~] He shook his head, thinking of how stupid it was to have a "business" trip in the middle of the week. "Are all these bags necessary?"  
  
"Of course! You wouldn't want me to look pathetic in the land of fashion would you?"  
  
"Well, no-"  
  
"East City is the clothing capitol of the world! All the latest fashion comes directly from there, and I'm tempted to buy out a whole store." Another giggle. "Wouldn't that be fun? A whole shopping spree!"  
  
"Shopping? Is that all Earth women think about?"  
  
"What did you expect? Fighting?"  
  
"Naturally! You foolish Earthlings take that wonderful art for granted."  
  
Bulma frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "I think you've been watching too much TV. Ah well, it doesn't matter now. Take these bags downstairs, would you?" She pointed to three packed suitcases, padlocked and bursting at the seams. Vegeta easily lifted them up, mumbling about "Onna's and luggage and clothes".  
  
The blue-eyed scientist watched him walk down the stairs, then walked back to her room, deciding to clean up. =I'm sure gonna miss Veg-head while I'm gone. Too bad I can't take him with me, but he'd die from the lack of training. Ooh...I just hope he doesn't kill my parents...= Bulma walked back out of her room. Hearing her mother singing (the woman was apparently in her bedroom), she poked her head in, narrowly missing her mother's duster.  
  
"Oh! Hello Bulma, dear!"  
  
"Heh, hi mom. Just came in to say bye."  
  
"That's right, you're leaving today aren't you? Well, you have a nice time, and don't worry about Vegeta, he'll be alright with me."  
  
"Umm, that's the other reason why I came here. Try not to...get in his way while he's training, ok?"  
  
"Yes, I know. Now hurry along before your father gets upset."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts, just go on and have a good time." The door was closed in her face, leaving a very ticked Bulma to stand there. "That's the last time I ever take pity on anybody and try to help them out."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta sat at the table, chin propped up on his hand, elbow on table. It was due time for his verbal spar with the Onna, but said person had left hours ago to East City, land of the whackos and thieves. Yes, he knew that big cities usually equaled high crime...and now his Onna was out there, defenseless....  
  
.....he fell out of his seat......  
  
HIS ONNA?!?! Perhaps he was ill...or...something. He rejected the idea as quickly as he could. Sure he was interested in her, but that was as far as it went. Their little moments had been on account of something he bordered on insanity. Neither could've been in their right minds at the time. After all, they hated each other....didn't they?  
  
No, hate was too strong, something he only felt towards Frieza. Not even Kakarot was hated. He was one of the last surviving members of their race, there was no room for hate. Maybe he was just attracted to her. Who wouldn't be? She was beautiful, smart, kind...the list goes on. Though, her mouth could get in the way...  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as the elder Briefs woman made her way into the kitchen, spatula in hand. "Hello Vegeta! Guess you'll be wanting your lunch now, hmm?" She flashed him a cheesy grin, turning to pull out random ingredients. Vegeta rolled his eyes, knowing full well that he couldn't afford to kill the only life line he had to food.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Stupid jerks. I HATE the big city..." Bulma yanked out her hotel key- card from her pocket, stabbing the key hole with the poor object. The door lazily opened, clicking into a locked position and staying open. She had just finished prying herself out of some drunk's arms, having tried her best to convince him that she wasn't his girl. The bellboy had run off, scared to death of the big brute. For once she wished Vegeta was with her...  
  
She paused in the doorway, then shook her head. So what? He probably would've stood off to the side and pointed at her, laughing until he wet his pants. Ok, so he probably would've killed the dude for even daring to breathe in their presence, but he still would've been handy. =**sigh** Gone for only five hours and I'm already homesick...work sucks! =  
  
Bulma closed the door, kicked off her shoes, and jogged to the large bed. She flopped down, enjoying the warmth and cushiony softness of it all.  
  
**BRIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!**  
  
The phone rang loudly, making her fall off the edge, landing unceremoniously on the floor. She glared at the phone, annoyed with the cruel object. She picked (more like yanked it) up.  
  
"HELLO?!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"LA LA LAAAAAAAAA!!!!"  
  
"WOMAN! IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, I'LL MAKE YOU SHUT UP....FOREVER!!!" Vegeta, red-faced, dehydrated, and definitely hungry buried his face in the couch, under a pillow. Bunny Briefs had picked the most inopportune time to start singing. The Prince felt that today would be THE day that would go down in history as the day he finally ascended.  
  
No such luck.  
  
Now Vegeta was irritated to no end with the cruel universe he lived in. First the failure, and now the singing. What next?  
  
"Hey everybody!"  
  
"No," Vegeta moaned. "Not now!"  
  
"Goku!" cried Bunny. "So nice to have you around! And after all these months too." The tall warrior looked around, puzzled.  
  
"Where's Bulma?"  
  
"She had to go on a business trip, but she'll be back soon. Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
"SURE!"  
  
Vegeta knew that he might not live to see tomorrow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Finely manicured nails drummed for endless hours on the table. An "emergency" board meeting had been called, so the corporate executives decided to have it all out in one day. Bulma sighed for the trillionth time, listening to the drab talk of a scientist who obviously got out of college by the seat of his pants. It was excruciating, to say in the least, to realize that the meeting had gone on for a grand total of...=**Bulma glances at her watch **.....EIGHT HOURS!??!?!= Her eyes widened. No wonder her stomach had been singing the death march!  
  
"Why can't we take a break," she mumbled under her breath. Various pencils made scribble sounds on pads of paper, hands nearly flying to take notes. Some were smart enough to bring lap tops, Bulma being included in that group. To the blue-haired Vice President, the room seemed like a sauna, with a never-ending table stretching from one end of the room to the other. The speaker, clearly perspiring, continued in a monotone voice, turning to page 147 of 360.  
  
Oh boy...this is THE trip from hell.......  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta flung his freshly bathed body onto his bed. The cool sheets were refreshing, relaxing muscles that were too tense for his liking. The day didn't seem like it would end: first his failure in going Super, then Kakarot coming for dinner and eating nearly all the food, then more training. Now he could finally relax.....or so he thought. His mind constantly drifted to Bulma. Was her day as "eventful" as his? Or was her life a living heck?  
  
He chuckled, remembering how Bulma had walked around the house, following her father, practically begging him to go in her place. Dr. Briefs took a firm stand, telling Bulma that he would eventually retire, and she would be in charge of Capsule Corp., and that she would need to know how business meetings are run.  
  
**BRIIIIIIIIING!**  
  
The Prince growled, knowing he had to answer it, due to the fact that the old people were out taking a walk. "What?" he said into the receiver.  
  
"Eh, Vegeta? How come you answered the phone?" asked a shaky voice.  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. He had heard that voice before...but from who? It wasn't the old pervert, or Kakarot, or cue ball, then it must be-  
  
"What do you want, weakling?"  
  
"I wanted to talk to Bulma, is she there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you know where she is?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"When is she coming back?"  
  
"Soon."  
  
An exasperated sigh came from Yamcha's end. "Could you tell her to call me back when she gets home?"  
  
"Whatever," he replied, hanging up the phone. [~ Stupid humans, calling at random hours.... ~] The phone rang again, irritating Vegeta to the point of no return.  
  
"Look Baka, I'll give her the message, now leave me be!"  
  
"Vegeta?!"  
  
He blinked twice. "Onna? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be training?"  
  
Vegeta grunted. "Yeah, but your parents found the need to take a walk, and asked me to answer this blasted annoyance."  
  
Bulma giggled. "At least you haven't killed them yet."  
  
"Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind many times."  
  
"**LOL** So, how has the day gone for you?"  
  
"It was...interesting..."  
  
"Hn, better than mine! They called an emergency meeting today, and decided to keep going with business. I don't think I've ever been so bored in my entire life! I just finished my dinner too!!"  
  
Vegeta chuckled. "Poor little Onna," he replied sarcastically. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep. Knowing you, you're liable to keep me on this stupid device all night."  
  
"Aww, come on Veggie. I've got no one to talk to here, and I'm a bit homesick. Can't you stay on, just a little longer?"  
  
"I have nothing more to say to you, Woman."  
  
"Then let me do all the talking. Just five more minutes, PLEASE!?!??!"  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes, sighing. He laid on his back, turning off the lamp on the bed stand. "Alright Onna, talk away. You have five minutes."  
  
"Thanks Vegeta, you're a doll! Well, I got to my hotel room, and was resting on my bed when the darn phone started ringing...."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Friday morning soon melted away, and Friday evening came. Vegeta never thought he could miss one person, let alone a human, so much. Bulma had gone past her five minute limit, running up her bill to two hours. Not that he minded, her voice was refreshing to listen to. He was a bit surprised that one person could talk as much as she could, but what can you expect from any female?  
  
Mrs. Briefs waltzed into the living room, a plate of cookies in one hand, a pitcher of milk in the other. "Here you go hun. Eat up, we're gonna go pick up Bulma soon."  
  
"We?" He questioned, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"I was hoping you could take me there Veggie-chan. The doctor has some business to attend to down town, and we don't want Bulma to have to take a taxi here-"  
  
"I can't drive one of your primitive vehicles!"  
  
"But you can fly, dear!" She gave him another cheesy grin. "I need to get my license renewed, so I can't drive either. Oh, but that means you can only carry one person...it would be easier," the older woman said to herself. Vegeta's eye twitched. [~ What do I look like? A bird? ~] He scowled, picking up three cookies from the plate and stuffing them into his mouth. After swallowing, he looked back to Bunny. "I have no intention of going to pick up the Onna...I'm not her chauffeur. Let her walk home," he growled, turning to make an exit.  
  
"Walk on the highway? What if some maniac runs her over? What if she hitch-hikes?" She began to sniffle. "What if someone kidnaps my poor baby? What if-"  
  
"WOMAN! Cease this blasted display of tears. I'll go if you'll just quit your bawling!"  
  
Bunny smiled, holding a Kleenex up to her nose. "Thank you dear. Her plane will probably be landing in ten minutes, so you'd better get there. She's on flight 452, should be landing in the B Section. Ok?"  
  
Vegeta nodded, waving his hand off in her direction, as if dismissing her from his presence. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, just have dinner ready when we get back."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After a quick change from his normal spandex-wear, Vegeta blasted off of his balcony towards the airport. His baggy black slacks, loose button-up black shirt, and black work-boots was definitely a drastic change for the Saiya-jin Prince. Human clothes were weird and foreign to him, but he found some clothes that suited his tastes.  
  
He finally spotted the airport, making an unnoticed landing in a dark alley. Walking towards the main entrance, he noticed all sorts of people from other lands walking in and out like mindless drones. Vegeta ignored them, continuing on his way. He hopped onto the escalator, clearly labeled "Section B", and waited impatiently for the slow thing to make it's way to the top.  
  
The top floor of the West City International Airport was sparsely littered with people. A few stood by the large window, watching the planes land. Some sat on the comfy-looking chairs, sleeping, eating, or just people watching. Vegeta chose to walk over to the other side of the entrance/exit door that lead to the plane. The huge window had sills where one could prop up their arms. Vegeta leaned on his side, on the window, arms crossed. His usual scowl was etched onto his face.  
  
(((Five minutes later)))  
  
Vegeta sighed in relief as the plane landed and connected with the air terminal. The area had suddenly become crammed with people, either to take a flight or to pick up someone. The close proximity of all the "baka" humans was making Vegeta feel very...claustrophobic.  
  
People streamed out of the bridge/hall connector. The Prince closed his eyes, leaning against the window, counting to ten so he wouldn't "accidentally" fire a ki blast at all the people who kept bumping into him. Heaven seemed to smile down on Vegeta today.  
  
"Oi, Vegeta!" He opened his eyes at the call of his name, only to find Bulma standing in front of him. "Hey!" She exclaimed, smiling and waving. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you picking me up?" They started walking towards the escalators.  
  
"The old woman sent me to get you. Something about cars and hitch- hiking..."  
  
"What? Er...never mind. Where's papa?"  
  
"Business meeting down town."  
  
"Oh," she replied, stepping off the last step. "Wait a second...you can't drive."  
  
"So?"  
  
"How are we getting home?"  
  
A feral grin crawled across Vegeta's face. "Flying, of course."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bulma clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip on Vegeta's muscled neck. They had been in the air for all of ten seconds, and Bulma had one terrible fear....heights.  
  
Sure, she flew choppers and planes, but she knew that she was 99.9% safe with the improvements Capsule Corp. had made on the bodies of vehicles. Then again, she didn't have the wind blowing her hair, and she wasn't going at break-neck speeds.  
  
Vegeta was going considerably slow, knowing that the Onna wouldn't appreciate him going faster than a speeding bullet. He stopped when he felt her shudder. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.  
  
"N-noth-"  
  
"Don't lie to me Onna."  
  
"I just don't like being so...high..."  
  
"Don't tell me you're-"  
  
"Afraid of heights. Well, not necessarily THAT, I'm just afraid of falling...and falling...and dying."  
  
"Hn, we're going to resolve that problem right now."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Vegeta started flying again, going slightly faster than he did before. He was carrying her with his left arm around her back, and his right arm under her knees. Carefully letting go of her knees (earning a slight yelp), he held her upper body against his, stopping and standing, hovering instead of flying. He concentrated some of his ki to her, holding her an arm's length from him, causing her to hover at the same elevation.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked uneasily. Bulma looked down and noticed that they were hovering over the C. C. mansion, though it looked like a tiny lego house. Her blue-eyes darted up to meet Vegeta's coal-colored ones. He immediately dropped his ki, and both began to plummet towards the roof.  
  
"VEGETA!" she shrieked, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around her waist. They stopped free falling, hovering six feet above the house. Vegeta guided them the rest of the way down, gently touching down on the dome-shaped building.  
  
Bulma opened one eye, then the other. HA! She was alive!! Her adrenaline was rushing through her system...she actually liked it. It was like one of those rides at the amusement parks! =COOL!=  
  
Vegeta waved his hand in front of her face. She hadn't yelled or screamed at him!! She hadn't even blinked! Bulma finally blinked, unaware of Vegeta's silent sigh of relief. "Hey, 'Geta...Can we do that again?! **Cheesy Grin** "  
  
The Saiya-jin Prince's left eye twitched before he fell over, Anime Style (^_^).  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Bulma, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you," said the warrior.  
  
"Yamcha, we've been together for so long. But...**sigh** ...it just doesn't feel right anymore, ya know?"  
  
"Yeah. Can't we at least still be friends?"  
  
"Of course!" Bulma replied, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Eight years of friendship is pretty hard to throw away!" They stood turning towards each other.  
  
"I've got to head home. Big day of training tomorrow." He wrapped his arms around Bulma's tiny waist. "See ya later B-chan."  
  
"Later dude!" A peck on the cheek given to the scar-faced warrior, and he was out the door. Bulma jumped when she heard another door slam.  
  
(^*^* Earlier *^*^)  
  
Vegeta had just pulled on his draw-string shorts that he always wore to bed when the door bell rang. Stretching out his ki sense, he felt the weaker ki of Yamcha. He scowled, looking at the clock that clearly displayed 9:50 PM. Deciding to wait to go downstairs (most of the time a fight would break out between the two when they were within a certain distance), he sat on his bed.  
  
Ten minutes later, and still no sign of the twit leaving, Vegeta took it upon himself to rid the household, and perhaps the world, of what he considered to be a pest. He walked down the hall, then the stairs, and opened his mouth to give a fair warning when he saw the hug, then the "kiss". From his angle, it looked like a mouth-to-mouth kiss (even though WE know it wasn't). Eyes narrowed, he watched Yamcha leave and Bulma wave at him while he got into his car.  
  
Training seemed like the safest thing to do...he turned toward the back door, slamming it on his way out. Clearly confused as to WHY he felt hurt, the Prince marched into his precious sanctuary to sort out this new emotion, and to beat away the pain and betrayal he felt.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Eh, sorry that I ended it here, but I felt that this was the best way to end this chappie. I decided to make this one a two-part chapter too, cuz it started getting a little long.....and I've started getting a little Writer's Block-itis. I wanna sleep on this and gather up my "creative writing" thoughts before I hit the second chapter. Don't worry, it should be out by this weekend!  
  
Special Shout Out to....  
  
Kat421: I'm glad that you think my fic is great, though I think it's starting to slow down too much. This chap had some of the humor I though you'd like, the next chap will be funnier towards the end. Plz keep R+R- ing, you're support means oodles! ^_~  
  
afk: heh heh...that TV seen in the last chap was my fav too! And don't worry, they never stay angry for long. Plz keep reviewing too! Y'all just keep me goin! ^_^  
  
So stay tuned for my next segment:::: Ch. 7: no. 5 pt. 2: You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broken.....Veggie and Bulma have a discussion, Chi Chi comes for preparations, and the party finally begins. Soon Veggie-chan and B- chan might not be the best kept secret!  
  
*~*~*~*~*DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!! *~*~*~*~*  
  
Until Next Time,  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	7. 5 pt2: You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broke...

A/N: Gomen peeps! We had some technical difficulties over here, therefore delaying my writing. Our house is kinda old, and there are no ceiling fixtures upstairs...so they hooked up the light switches to the plug ins. Well, we were vacuuming the room for one of our out-of-town guests, and the blasted switch caught on fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the lil fire died quicker than in started. Now I have a different wall plug I can use, and my computer is back in action! **grinz** So here's my second part to the unfinished chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: Me: Oi...Vegeta!  
  
Vegeta: What now child?  
  
Me: Tell 'em...  
  
Vegeta: **sigh** Look, she doesn't own DBZ, or me (thankfully)...any lawyers that come around will face the hellish fury of my Final Flash. **insert Veggie smirk**  
  
Me: **sweat drops** Eh...ok...  
  
Ch. 7: 5. Pt. 2: You Know Wild Hearts CAN Be Broken  
  
Vegeta slid down the computer council, resting against the cool metal. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase the image of Bulma from his mind. He growled in frustration, infuriated with the way he felt. Why did he feel betrayed? They had no relationship, no promises made. Scowling, he rested his head back, staring at the steel ceiling.  
  
**Knock, knock**  
  
The Prince glared at the door. [~ Am I ever going to have a moment of peace? ~]  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Vegeta," it was Bulma. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Go away," he growled back, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. His sensitive hearing picked up her shoes' soft clicks against the floor. The florescent lights were covered by a shadow, obviously the woman was in front of him. She sat down, mimicking his pose: cross-legged with arms crossed. "What's wrong?" she asked in all innocence. Her question was met with silence. " 'Geta-"  
  
"Don't call me that," he warned, eyes open and darting to her startled ones.  
  
"What did I do?!" she all but shrieked.  
  
"Shouldn't you get back to your boyfriend?"  
  
"BOYFRIEND?! What on Earth are you talking about?" Vegeta looked away, growing tired of talking with her.  
  
Bulma frowned. =What's up with him? One minute he's cool and collected, the next he's a rock. And where the heck did he pick up this boyfriend business anyway? = She continued to scan her memory, confused with the whole deal. **BING** A light bulb materialized in her mind's eye. =Yamcha...does he think...but-I-hee hee, looks like Veggie's a lil jealous...= She scooted over next to him, earning a glare, and rested her head on his left shoulder, hugging his arm.  
  
"I see now. Look Veg-head, Yamcha isn't my boyfriend. I'm not his girlfriend. We're through...forever, I guess. He came over to apologize, and I accepted. We've decided to just keep our relationship on a friendship-type thing. Don't worry, it seems as though you're gonna be stuck with me!" She grinned up at him.  
  
"You make that sound like a good thing," he smirked, earning a slap on the arm. "Though I don't like the idea of any fool kissing my Onna."  
  
"Nani? Oh, that!...I kissed him on the cheek silly!"  
  
"Oh," he replied quietly, his cheeks tinting a shade of red.  
  
Bulma smiled. "See? You were getting all worked up over nothing!" Vegeta's stomach interrupted by growling. "**LOL** Guess you'll be wanting a snack, huh?"  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Yes, and be quick about it woman."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Two boxes of Oreo cookies sat in front of Vegeta in all their glory. Had he been...oh, let's say Goku...he would've inhaled the cookies, box, bag, and all. But he was the Prince of the Saiya-jins, and he definitely had a lot more manners. Speaking of the third-class warrior, his wife had walked in through the door five minutes ago, pad and pencil in had. She and Bulma sat in front of and beside Vegeta, in that order. They chatted on about what to cook for the party the following day.  
  
"We have to have red meat, there's no going around that," stated Chi Chi. "I've got about 150 pounds stocked away in our freezer."  
  
Bulma nodded. "We've got about 200 lbs. You think that'll be enough?"  
  
"Sure! There are going to be other foods here anyway. The question is: what else?"  
  
"Soda, chips, Oooo! And cookies..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta was having his first peaceful dream in years. Unfortunately, he was woken up. He groggily rubbed his eyes, stretching till his stiff body popped it's bones. Sniffing the air, he realized what had jolted him out of dream land...  
  
...food....!  
  
The Prince smirked, walking out of his room, wearing only his PJ pants. The hallway was the perfect spot for smelling the thick aroma of food. He traveled down it, then the stairs, making his way to the kitchen. A frown soon replaced his smirk when he caught sight of the Son family, wife at the stove, boys at the table, drooling like crazy. For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating, but his stomach, along with Goku's and Gohan's, spoke, deleting that thought.  
  
"Oh-Morning Vegeta!" Bulma exclaimed, pulling eggs and bacon from the fridge. He gave her a nod, taking his seat at the table. Goku and Gohan also greeted him, though they were only met with a glare. Chi Chi turned around, pulling a glass from seemingly thin air, and placed it in front of the ebony-haired Prince. A regal eyebrow rose in confusion. He quickly shrugged it off. [~ You're finally going crazy. Juice doesn't appear out of thin air, baka. Use that God-given brain of yours. Feh, looks like the Earthling air has finally gotten to you. ~]  
  
"Chi Chi, is breakfast ready yet," whined Goku. Vegeta was tempted to knock his head into the next dimension.  
  
"Kakkarot, isn't it obvious? Don't tell me you're that stupid!"  
  
"Vegeta," scolded Bulma. She waved her spatula at him. "Knock it off. Chi and I have got a lot of work to do, and the sooner we feed you, the sooner we can start. So both of you shut up, and breakfast will be ready in a minute. Got it?!"  
  
The three Saiya-jins nodded, not wanting to face the wrath of the angry women. Food began to appear on the table, Bulma and Chi Chi running back and forth from the stove to the table with ease. Everyone began to dish up their food, the boys inhaling it. Empty platters now sat where piles of food once were.  
  
"Everyone happy?" Chi Chi asked.  
  
Goku's stomach growled. "Chi...I'm still hungry."  
  
**THUMP** Chi Chi's frying pan of doom soon met Goku's head.  
  
"GO OUTSIDE AND TRAIN BEFORE I PULL OUT MY OTHER PAN!!" Needless to say, the boys were kicked outside, holding the bumps on their heads from the frying pan.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Annoying woman...making me wear these stupid clothes..." Vegeta scowled at his reflection in the mirror. The navy blue button-up shirt and khaki pants were ok with him, but the tie...ugh! He got the knot down (thanks to the helpful instructions on the back of the package), but no matter how careful he was, he always managed to tighten it too much, choking himself every other minute. Finally fed up with the whole mess, he decided to let his pride down and ask for help.  
  
"BULMA!" he bellowed, waiting a few seconds for her response.  
  
"WHAT?" she yelled back, stomping down the hallway towards his room. Opening the door, she stuck her head in, one hand on the door knob, the other holding up the towel that was wrapped around her body. Vegeta didn't turn to look, still trying his luck with the tie.  
  
"I can't get this noose you want me to wear comfortable enough."  
  
"Here, let me fix it." Vegeta turned around, eyes widening when he saw her clad in only a towel. "Onna, you're...not wearing any clothes." Bulma blushed, looking down at her towel.  
  
"I know...but---Do you want me to fix the tie or what?"  
  
He nodded. "Just put a robe on. No telling what might happen if you let go of that." He pointed at the towel, then handed her his robe, turning his back towards her so she could put it on.  
  
"Ok, all done," she tossed the towel on a chair. "Hmm...let's see..." A few minutes later, she stepped back, looking him over. "**sigh** That tie makes you look way too formal."  
  
"I could've told you that," he mumbled, looking at the mirror.  
  
Bulma stepped in front of him, undoing the tie and sliding it off of his neck. She then un-did the first two buttons, giving a glimpse of his muscular chest. "Much better," she said, grinning.  
  
"Much," he replied. "I can actually breathe."  
  
The blue-haired woman giggled, looking him over again. "Ya know, you look really good in these clothes. Much better than your training gi."  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Well, my robe looks good on you."  
  
Bulma blushed, watching Vegeta wrap his arms around her waist. He touched her nose with his own. "You'd better get dressed before all those people show up. I don't think the Harpy Onna would appreciate you parading around in front of her brat in a robe."  
  
"Hmm, I agree." She gave him a quick kiss. "See ya later, bad man." Giggling, she walked out of the room.  
  
"Ha ha ha....you're so funny...." he sarcastically muttered. Offering a final smirk her way, he followed her path, out of his room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Idly standing in a far corner, Vegeta watched the group of warriors with a wary eye. The party had gone smoothly for the most part. Krillin had shown up with his new girlfriend, Tracy, and introduced her to the whole gang. She seemed sweet, keeping conversation with those around her, but she also seemed shy. Whenever someone else addressed her, she blushed, keeping her eyes down towards the ground. Vegeta rolled his eyes. Her humility was driving him insane. He was much more used to Bulma's forward boldness, something he definitely liked about his Onna. [~ My Onna...hmm...not so bad now that I think of it.... ~] He chuckled quietly, pushing of the wall to go to the kitchen.  
  
Chi Chi whooshed by him, platter of drinks balanced perfectly. The swinging door kept moving back and forth, taking less of the distance each time. It finally stood still, only to be hit again by the fast Earthling. "Woman, where's Bulma?"  
  
She stopped momentarily to see who had slowed her down. "Bulma will be back in a minute, she's pulling some more snacks out of the pantry." No sooner had she finished her sentence, the lady in question came back, bags of chips, pretzels, and cookies in hand. "You were lookin' for me V-chan?" She grabbed three bowls, emptying the contents into each.  
  
"I-"  
  
"Bulma, Yamcha wants more Coke."  
  
"Right," the Capsule Corp. vice president answered, grabbing a bottle and leaving the kitchen. Vegeta glared at the door, then Chi Chi's back, who was busy with one of many woks at the stove. Bulma rushed in, having taken the snack bowls in when refilling Yamcha's drink. "I'm sorry Vegeta. But I'm kinda busy. What did you want?"  
  
"Its just that I haven't-"  
  
"Hey guys, when is dinner gonna be ready?"  
  
The three occupants of the kitchen whirled around to face Yajarobi, who had been invited to the party out of sheer politeness. Bulma fixed him with one of her best glares. "Look Yajarobi, we're doing the best we can!"  
  
"But I'm hungry! I didn't have lunch!"  
  
Chi Chi scowled. "Then eat a few snacks."  
  
"Eh," he shuffled his feet, looking down at them with shiny eyes, "I did...most of the snacks..." Bulma's eye twitched. She slowly turned towards Vegeta. "Vegeta..."  
  
He raised his hands up defensively. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
"I know, but would you mind kicking Yajarobi out of the kitchen?"  
  
"Gladly," Vegeta responded, smirking as he marched towards the fat Samurai. "Heh heh...hey Vegeta! Buddy, pal, amigo, brother...!" He ran as fast his legs could carry him out of the kitchen.  
  
"Thanks Geta!" Bulma kissed him on the cheek. Chi Chi sighed. "I'm going to go sit for a few minutes. Just let everything cook by itself. It'll all be done soon." Bulma nodded, watching the woman walk out of the kitchen.  
  
"Now, you've been trying to tell me something...?" She asked, turning towards him.  
  
"Yeah, this..." He grabbed her by her waist, kissing her.  
  
(((Living Room)))  
  
Yamcha looked at his empty glass. For some reason, he had been as dry as the desert. He stood up, deciding it was best to drink water instead. He barely avoided getting knocked upside the head by the door as Chi Chi walked out, taking a seat by her family. The scarred warrior let out a sigh, no need to have a black eye before his big date for tomorrow. He opened his mouth to ask for water, only to close it, deciding not to interrupt Bulma's conversation, having had experience from the many times he had done so.  
  
"Now, you've been trying to tell me something...?"  
  
"Yeah, this..."  
  
Yamcha's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open. :::Did they just...? But...that's Vegeta!!::: He turned around in the doorway, letting the door swing close behind him. Vegeta...Bulma...kissing...like THAT?!?!? He sat down beside Krillin, still in shock. The slightly younger man looked at his friend. "Yamcha, are you alright?"  
  
"Vegeta...Bulma..."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Krillin asked. By now, everyone in the room was looking at him. "They were...kissing..."  
  
Goku choked on his mouthful of pretzels, the football game on the TV momentarily forgotten. He shot a glance in Piccolo's direction, who looked calm on the outside. Piccolo looked at him from the corner of his eye. ^Uh oh, looks like we got trouble...^ The Saiya-jin thought, looking at the kitchen door.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Hee Hee...don't ya just luv these cliffy's? And Goku choking on the pretzels ^_^. I was gonna have him stutter and try to cover for Bulma and Veggie for Trunks' sake, but I might leave that for the next chapter. ^_~ OH! Special shout out to the following peeps!:  
  
FariesHope: I have followed your Command, now I command you to review! LOL! ^_^ BTW: Thanxz for reviewing my old Old OLD ficcy...that was my first one-shot/song-fic, and I didn't like it much. But you've made me start to like it again! ^_~  
  
afk: Thanxz for the long review! They are always welcomed. Now that you know what happened to poor Veggie-kun, you can get ready for the next chappie! Thanx again and keep reviewing plz!  
  
Dayrin Blooddragon: I'm glad you found my fic again, and now it is finally updated AGAIN! I luv ur fic too, and NO: I'm not one of those peeps out to kill you. I just wanna see what happens next in your fic! Hope you update soon, and keep reviewin' this ficcy!  
  
Any who...stay tuned for my next chappie: Ch. 8: 6. You Know I Hate Attention :::: Bulma and Vegeta are completely oblivious to Yamcha's discovery, Goku and Piccolo have a mental conversation to plan, and now the new couple are confronted by the Ex! What will happen? And why is Goku having a mental breakdown? Could Trunks' existence be put in the balance?  
  
LOL:::I like be the DBZ Announcer person! ^_^  
  
PLZ REMEMBER TO READ AND REVIEW! Ya'll keep me motivated!!!!  
  
Until Next Time,  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
~*Pearl*~  
  
PS: And I'll try my best to update sooner, but school starts for me next week (I go year-round...whoopee...), but I PROMISE I'll do my best to update at least once a week!!!! 


	8. 6: You Know I Hate Attention

A/N: School...what more can I say? I've had mucho homework this whole week, but thankfully the weekend is here and now I can do this chappie!!! YAY! Now I get to torture not only Bulma and Veggie, but Goku and Piccolo too! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-**begins to cough**-...I'm ok...  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned DBZ, then Vegeta would play the major hero for once, and Goku wouldn't have died during the Cell Saga...and Bulma would be my best friend!! ^_^.......but I don't own it...**bawls**.......  
  
Ch. 8: 6. You Know I Hate Attention  
  
Black eyes shifted from one person to another. All in the room seemed to soak up the information. Tracy smiled. "That's so sweet!" she exclaimed, giving Krillin's hand a squeeze. The bald-headed warrior shook his head. "You don't get it! Vegeta is a complete jerk. He tried to k-"  
  
"Kick our butts in football!" shouted Goku. He had stood up. No need for the completely innocent and oblivious Earthling to know about Vegeta's past. Saying "kill" could cause major problems...as if they didn't already have any!  
  
Krillin raised an eyebrow in Goku's direction. //Has he finally cracked?// he though, giving Goku a once-over. //Nah, he's always been like that...// Tracy looked at Goku. "He's a jerk just cuz he beat you in football? You guys take sports WAY to seriously!" The Senshi in the room sweat-dropped. Why bother to explain? Goku sat next to Piccolo while the others went on with their previous conversation. He rest his chin in his hand, elbow on knee.  
  
^Just great. Vegeta will be so ticked when he finds out that everyone knows he's fallen for Bulma...^  
  
\\\Goku, can you hear me?\\\  
  
^Piccolo? Wow, we can actually talk like this? COOL!^  
  
A mental sweat drop appeared from Piccolo.  
  
\\\What are we going to do about Bulma and Vegeta? The minute our "ally" finds out, he'll probably leave for space.\\\  
  
^Yeah, I know. And we can't have that happen or else Trunks will never be born, and we'll be one strong fighter short for the Androids. I guess we'll have to cover for him.^  
  
\\\How? Think about it...Yamcha saw it. He's bound to pester Bulma about it when she comes out of the kitchen.\\\  
  
^We've just gotta keep Yamcha away from Bulma. The others don't seem nosey enough to bother about it, and I think Chi Chi has an idea of something going on between the two of them...so that's one less thing to worry about.^  
  
\\\Very well then, you go keep Yamcha away from them, and I'll tell them to wait until later to be...affectionate-\\\  
  
^NO!^  
  
Piccolo flinched.  
  
^Sorry...its just that you don't know Vegeta like I do, and he'd probably just tell you to mind your own business and blast you with a Final Flash. I'll talk to them, and you keep Yamcha busy.^  
  
\\\How?\\\  
  
^Spar with him, talk, I dunno! Just give me five minutes to prepare them for serious questioning.^  
  
\\\Fine.\\\ Piccolo closed the connection and stood up, walking over to the scarred warrior. Yamcha nodded and the two went outside, apparently to spar. Goku gulped knowing that Vegeta, and especially Bulma, could be pretty scary when they were angry. He said a quick and silent prayer, slowly making his way towards the kitchen door. No one seemed to notice his departure.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta's fingers slid through Bulma's silky soft hair. At the moment, he was content, and he knew that if he died that day, he would die a happy man. He had just finished expressing the way he felt about his Onna, though he also admitted that he couldn't quite understand these emotions, as new and foreign as they were to him. Bulma sighed, arms wrapped around Vegeta's torso, happiness seeping through her veins. She had never, EVER felt this way about anybody before. A soft giggle was surpressed. Poor V- chan, he just couldn't handle these emotions. With a little patience and time, she knew she would be able to get him to open up. Hopefully, no one would ruin it....  
  
"Eh, Bulma, Vegeta..."  
  
=Spoke to soon...=  
  
She braced herself for Vegeta's shove to the side, but found herself mildly surprised when he wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"What is it Kakkarot?"  
  
"Umm...well-you see, it's like this-" The third class warrior looked at his work boots. The air seemed too thin, his throat too dry. ^/Quit your stalling!!!/^ His mind screamed at him; strangely enough, it sounded like a mix of Piccolo, Vegeta, Bulma, and Chi Chi...one scary combo.  
  
"Yamcha saw you guys."  
  
An elegant blue eyebrow raised slightly. "He's seen you too. What gives?"  
  
"No...I mean...he walked in on you guys while you were..."  
  
"...kissing...?" The couple asked, clearly confused.  
  
"Yeah," Goku muttered. "He walked back to the TV room and announced it as though the world ended. Which, I guess for him, it kinda did." Shiny black eyes looked into crystal-clear blue ones, then to the Prince's hard gaze. His arms dropped slowly to his sides, Bulma's doing the same. For a moment, it seemed as though time had stood still. Finally, Vegeta turned on his heel, and left towards the back door.  
  
"Vegeta! Wait!" Goku exclaimed, using Instant Transmission to block the warrior's path.  
  
"Let me by Kakkarot," he growled through clenched teeth.  
  
"Just hold on! They think Yamcha has had one too many to drink. Your precious pride is still safe," he stated, taking a serious tone with his last sentence. Vegeta's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.  
  
"What do you know of pride? You've grown up in the safe comforts of some backwater planet that has the occasional would-be ruler of the universe land on it."  
  
"Why does it bother you so much to admit that you care about somebody?!" Goku yelled, no longer caring if the others heard.  
  
Bulma stood by the table, gripping the nearest chair until her knuckles were white. She could see Vegeta's muscles start to flex, the back of his neck turning a slightly pink hue. He cracked his knuckles, keeping his hands in fists. =Please don't fight...not over this....not now.....=  
  
"I..." Vegeta stated before taking a gulp, "I care about no one. My only goal is to become stronger, beat those stupid tin cans, and to kick your carcass around...nothing more, nothing less. Your human-petty emotions are holding me back from attaining the Legendary status. Neither you, or Bulma, or anyone else on this mud-ball will keep me from what is rightfully mine. Now, get out of my way before I loose my temper."  
  
Goku's eyes had widened to twenty times their normal size. How could he stand there and lie like that? It was plainer than the nose on his face that Vegeta had feelings for Bulma. But the Saiya-jin sighed, taking a step to his left. Vegeta gripped the doorknob, twisting it softly before yanking it open.  
  
"Lying will only make matters worse Vegeta. Emotions make people stronger. It's that one driving force that has you use the last unit of ki to save someone you care for. It's what makes you break the barrier between Saiya- jin and Super Saiya-jin...it let's you live." With that said, Goku walked towards the swinging door, stopping beside Bulma, though not looking at her.  
  
"He doesn't mean it B-chan. It'll be one long struggle for him. But don't worry," he whispered, turning to look at her. "He'll pull through." One last glance was offered towards the Prince's back who still stood in the doorway. "He'll pull through," he said again, walking out the door into the TV room.  
  
*************************************************************************** *********** Ouchies...that didn't go quite as planned. But with all this AP homework and what-not, I've been having to push my baby to the side. No need to fear! This baby ficcy will make it! I'll make sure of it!!!!!!  
  
Special Shout out to: (drum roll plz.......):::  
  
Faries Hope: Yup, V-chan is mad alright. But the question is: Will he stay mad??? Hmmmmmm...thanx for the review, and keep on R&R-ing!!!  
  
Eclipse75: I have updated! TAH DAH! ^_^ Hee Hee...it's been a while since I've heard from you! Keep Reading and Reviewing---you make me feel luved!  
  
Kat421: Cliffy's evil??! Well, here's another one! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! ^_~ Can't resist! My dear friend Kat, you have been faithful at that, plz keep on reviewin, and I'll keep on updatin (so the last part didn't rhyme, sue me! Then again....don't....-_-;;;;;;)  
  
SSDayrin Blooddragon: So, you didn't review this fic, but you reviewed my first post "He's My Son"! Coolness! No, I'm not going to add another chap. You're right, it's fine the way it is. I will, however, make another songfic later on, for those times when I have writer's block with this ficcy. We'll see....  
  
Again, thanx to all who reviewed and PLZ PLZ keep reviewing, it really does keep me motivated!!!! Preview time!!!!!!:::: Ch. 9: 7. You're Keeping Me From My Birthright:::::: Vegeta ponders (big word O_o) Goku's words, Bulma wonders if Vegeta really is THE one, Goku tries to blow off some steam, and everyone really DOES think Yamcha has had one too many. Our fav Prince is thinking about training in space for a month. What consequences can it bring?!?!? ***gasp*** Could this fic go AU!?!!?!?!?.......  
  
.........PSHHHHHT! PLEASE!.........  
  
((insert after ***gasp***)) Will Veggie leave? Or will he reconcile with Bulma? Another sweet yet sad moment on the way! Stay tuned!!!!  
  
Until Next Time,  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	9. 7: You're Keeping Me From My Birthright

A/N: Gomen nasai peeps for the x-tremely long delay! Being a Junior taking Senior/College courses is causing me to fall behind in my writing. I also don't seem to get as inspired when I HAVE time...only when I DON'T have time...weird. This chappie might be sad...I feel like writing something sad. So bring out the Kleenex and drink plenty-o-water!!  
  
Disclaimer: I dun own it...though I do own 2 recorded episodes of DBZ!  
  
Ch. 9: 7. You're Keeping Me From My Birthright  
  
Bulma stood stock still, intently watching Vegeta as he stood there, staring out the back door. A whirlwind of emotions flooded her mind. How could he say things like that? But most important: did he mean them? She bit back the sob that threatened to come, cursing her now blurred vision. The swinging door had finally come to a stop, almost as if it was Bulma's own beating heart.  
  
Vegeta turned around and faced the woman he hated to love, who made him feel so...complete. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Boy, he sure goofed up this time. His eyes followed Bulma's hands as she lifted them up, in a defensive manner. "I understand," she whispered, causing Vegeta to hold his breath in order to hear her soft voice. "You don't have to explain. You were just trying use me, weren't you?" The Prince's eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling.  
  
"NANI?! What are you talking about??!" he all but screeched.  
  
"You just wanted to get the Gravity Room from me...upgraded even. Right?"  
  
Vegeta stared at her, sweat-dropping. "No Bulma...." He shook his head, trying desperately to gather his thoughts. "You said earlier before this whole...incident...that you understood the fact that I'm not good with emotions. When I was younger, much younger, I had my mother. You remind me of her-soft, loving, caring, screechy-"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"-she taught me to show my emotions, though not in excess as you Earthlings seem prone to do. My father wasn't exactly picture perfect, but he still care for me too. Well, until Frieza reared his ugly head..." he trailed off, hands clenching into fists. "...I was kidnapped by him, apparently his way of disciplining my father for his disobedience. Then he blew up my planet...not before he raped and killed my mother and younger sister. I was seven, and she was only five..." the Prince stopped, feeling pain from years gone by hit him like a tidal wave. His eyes blurred for a few seconds before clearing, leaving a moist trail down his right cheek. He furiously wiped the tear away, an angry look staying on his face for only a moment.  
  
Bulma held her hand to her mouth, clearly shocked and horrified. =Ugh, Frieza! That bastard! How could he do that? **sniffle, sniffle** Poor V- san! = She walked up to Vegeta, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I'm so sorry Vegeta. You've lost so much, more than anybody weaker than you could've taken. But you don't have to shut your friends out because of what happened in the past. Vegeta, you've got to move on! Please..." She buried her nose in the crook of his neck, feeling her tears slide down and hit spots on his neck and shoulders.  
  
The Prince's tense shoulders soon relaxed, and his arms slid around her slender body. For this one moment, he could forget his pride, and let the tears roll down his cheeks. It had been years since he had mentioned anything of his planet's destruction and it lifted a weight off of his shoulders. Vegeta let out a low, soft chuckle.  
  
"What's so funny?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Looks as though this planet IS making me soft. Me, standing here, crying...what's become of me?"  
  
"A few tears never hurt anybody. It's the first part of healing," she whispered, giving him a reassuring squeeze before pulling away. "Now," Bulma said softly, wiping away the tears from Vegeta's cheeks. "I think its time we rejoin the party before they start to get a lil nosey, hmm?"  
  
Vegeta scowled. "I don't think so. I'm going to go train...call me when dinner is ready." He leaned forward, giving her a brief, swift kiss, turned on his heel, and walked out the still-open back door.  
  
"Well, of all the times....!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Goku sat against the cool, steel walls of the room. His arms were crossed in an all too familiar fashion; his lower lip stuck out in a pouting manner. The Saiya-jin warrior could easily admit that he was peeved...oh, no...beyond peeved. Bulma had been his friend since...FOREVER...and Vegeta acting as he did seriously upset the Third Class. Well, what did he expect? Vegeta never was a "people-person" anyway. But to hear him lie like that! UGH! He hoped that Vegeta tripped over a rock...or...something...(O_o)  
  
His coal-colored eyes swept over the room. He had once owned a similar capsule, back when the gang had gone to Namek. Yes, he sure had appreciated the Gravity Room. It gave him the advantage he needed to help his friends defeat the Ginyu Force. At that thought, Goku chuckled, remembering the silly poses they had done. His witty reply had been, "Are we here to dance or to fight?" Ah, those were the days. He paused, hearing the door whoosh open, and a familiar shadow appear in the doorway.  
  
"KAKAROT?! What are you doing here?"  
  
"I-uh-you see...."  
  
"Quit your babbling and get out!"  
  
"Hey, wait a second!" He stood. "I wanna talk with you about-"  
  
"Save it Kakarot, I've already discussed-things-with the Onna."  
  
Goku tilted his head to the side slightly. "Really?"  
  
"Hai, now...I'm going to ask 'nicely' before I kick you out. LEAVE." Vegeta turned towards the control panel, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.  
  
Goku smirked and nodded. "Ok 'Geta. See ya at dinner?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah..." Vegeta waved his hand in dismissal.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Smells of various dishes filled the formal dinning room, making all mouths water, and Saiya-jins' stomachs growl. Chi Chi, Bulma, and Tracy brought out giant bowls of rice, chicken, salad, etc., to the table, lining them up and down the long table. All of the Z Senshi stood behind their chairs, waiting for everything to be set. Bulma smiled and looked around, realizing that one person was missing.  
  
"I guess Vegeta is still outside training?" She asked, looking around.  
  
"Yeah, his ki is almost at the max," Goku said, eyeing a defenseless drumstick. "Son-kun, could you go get him?" Bulma looked hopefully at her long time friend.  
  
The hungry Saiya-jin's shoulders slumped. "Sure, just don't start without me!" Laughter filled the room before Goku put two fingers to his head and disappeared.  
  
((The GR))  
  
Vegeta dodged the 578th ki blast that the bot had thrown towards him. He had to admit that the Onna had really outdone herself this time. The training bot was at least four times faster than the last one, and stood about as tall as Kakarot. It no longer had a pre-set program of moves...it's only function being to react to whatever the Prince threw it's way. Vegeta smirked, feeling his muscles exert his energy supply, his ki growing stronger by the minute. HA! In two years he would definitely be ready for those walking trash cans!  
  
"KAME HAME HA!" Came the shout from across the room.  
  
"NANI?!" Vegeta sputtered before throwing his arms in front of his body.  
  
"FINAL FLASH!" He shouted, smirking the entire time. [~ So, Kakarot wants to spar? **evil chuckle** Hope he has medical insurance!~] The two attacks met in the center, the owners trying to push the other attack back. Goku grunted, pushing his ki little by little.  
  
Vegeta's smirk deepened. He could feel his fellow Saiya-jin's ki rise ever- so slightly. Now was his chance to once and for all show Kakarot who the true Saiya-jin is! His smirk eased off of his face as he began to concentrate all of his energy towards his Final Flash. The more he pushed, the faster the energy wave circled around it and the stronger the force. His blue energy slowly, but surely, pushed the golden Kame Hame-Ha back to Goku, who, by now, had a complete look of shock over his face.  
  
"Oh boy," Goku whispered, feeling the tension in the room rise. He braced his body to give out more ki, before shouting "HAAA!" to release it. His eyes shifted from his attack to Vegeta's face, which was scowling, no surprise.  
  
"Curse you Kakarot!" He shouted, putting one foot behind the other for more support. By now, both could feel the ki's of the rest of the party standing outside the Gravity Room. There was pounding at the door, drawing the attention of both Goku and Vegeta. They soon ignored the various knocks and shouts coming from the other side of the door, pushing their ki's toward each other.  
  
Vegeta's frustration grew to new heights. How could Kakarot keep going? It was the most infuriating and annoying thing ever! He channeled more ki to his infamous attack, hoping to knock back Kakarot and be done with it. But Goku responded in turn with a larger dose of ki.  
  
"ACK! Why do you do this to me?!" Vegeta yelled.  
  
Goku looked at him with those innocent eyes. "Do what?"  
  
"You're keeping me from my birthright! You're always one step ahead of me no matter how hard I train. What do I have to do?! What's wrong with ME?!" He yelled, feeling his energy level soar. Goku blinked, keeping his Kame Hame-Ha steady, noticing how Vegeta's ki aura was crackling with golden-white electricity.  
  
^He's-he's actually doing it! OMGOSH! Come on Vegeta! You're almost there!! ^ Goku put all he had into his Kame Hame-Ha, hoping that it would push Vegeta over the edge. He heard the Prince growl, felt his energy level break the max level, and watched Vegeta's aura explode with a familiar golden hue.  
  
The last thing he heard was Vegeta's "HAAAA!!!" before the entire world went black.....  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** WEEEEEEE!!!!! I've FINALLY updated! I'm so proud of myself....aren't you?! ^-^ Hee hee...bet you guys can figure out what happened at the last part, right?!? I'm soooo VERY sorry about the long delay. I'm finally out on intercession, so I've got 3 weeks of vacation that I can use to write with! WOO HOO! Umm....special shout out to:  
  
Obsidian Blade: Well, guess you won't have to slap V-chan....yet! OH! BTW: I'm also working on that song fic that you seem to want to read. It should be out soon...all I've gotta do is type it up! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Kat 421: Thanx for the head's-up on the name change, and plz keep reviewing oh so faithful reviewer! You just make me SOOOOO HAPPY! ^-^  
  
Eclipse75: Well, I'm glad that you can't wait to read more! Thanx for reviewing, and you won't have to wait too long for the next update!  
  
Fairies Hope: Umm....I've updated! YAY! (-_-;;;; (Vegeta) Keep on reviewing!  
  
afk: Glad you're now back from vacation and can read my fic! I always luv long reviews, it makes me feel so special! Anywho, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chappie!  
  
Again, thanx to everyone who read and reviewed, and stay tuned for the next installment in 10 Things:: Chapter 10: 8. You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shut!::: Veggie and Goku get wheeled into the Med. Bay, get a quick check up, and are on their way back to dinner. Goku tells Bulma about the "GR Incident" and she nearly blurts out the discovery! Will Bulma be able to keep it a secret? Will Goku also keep his lips sealed? And what about our favorite Prince? Will he find the urge to gloat and boast, or tape his mouth shut???!!!  
  
Hee Hee...I seriously should be the DBZ announcer girl! That'd be awesome!  
  
Till Next Time!!  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	10. 8: You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shut

Ch. 10: 8. You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shut!  
  
A/N: Eh heh...I'm BAAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAk! I've finally had the inspiration to write more of this fic, and after Final Flashing Writer's Block-itis to the next dimension, I'm ready to roll!!!...err....type!!!!! This is gonna be a fairly short chappie and it'll contain a lil bit of light-hearted humor, with a second part that I'll explain at the end of today's chapter! ENJOY! ^-^  
  
Disclaimer: Dun't own it........  
  
".....what the hfil hit me?" One large hand touched his forehead...he guessed it was his own.  
  
"Hhnnn-I think I did....," replied a voice to his right. What a way to wake up! The first one blinked a few times, his eyes desperately trying to adjust the light in the room. He squinted, making out the thin lines on the ceiling. Finally, he turned towards the other occupant of his room, a scowl coming across his handsome features. "You, a low class idiot, hit me?"  
  
"I meant my Kame Hame-Ha, Vegeta," Goku slung his arm over his eyes, blocking out the light. "We both got each other pretty hard. I haven't felt this bad since our first battle when you came to Earth."  
  
"Hai...that was the battle of the century."  
  
"Yeah, it was! But let's look at it this way: now you're a Super Saiya-jin too!"  
  
Vegeta jumped from his bed to the floor near Goku's, throwing his pillow over the warrior's mouth. "Listen Bakarot...you are to keep this to yourself. Tell no one that I have ascended, not even your harpy wife. Understand?"  
  
"Mff hmmff, hmm fmm gmm hmm bmm!" Goku's eyes widened as his sentence increased in size.  
  
"What?!" Vegeta took the pillow away. "I said, 'I understand, but aren't you gonna tell Bulma?'." His coal black eyes swept the room as he repeated himself in a whisper.  
  
"....I...." Vegeta's scowl deepened. If he remembered correctly, Bulma had the capacity to keep secrets the way Kakarot had the will to refuse food. It just wasn't possible! He could hear her now, on the blasted contraption (a.k.a.: telephone), chattering away with some other foolish female, sounding like a bunch of squirrels. Ugh, the agony on his overly-sensitive ears! The Prince shook his head to rid his mind of the annoying noise. "No Kakarot. Not even my Onna. It's bad enough that she's loud, but she gives that slogan 'loose lips sink ships' an entirely new meaning."  
  
"Well, thanks a lot Veggie!"  
  
"GAHH!" Both warriors jumped, having been too deep in thought. "ONNA! How much did you hear?"  
  
Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. "Everything, you ol' meanie! I wouldn't blab it to the world! You guys seriously need to give me more credit." With a final "Hmph", she marched down the hallway, quickly throwing a "dinner's ready" over her shoulder.  
  
Vegeta slowly turned towards Goku, glaring as though the earth had done him wrong. Goku shrunk under the stare, having been on the receiving end often lately.  
  
"Look at what you've done now baka!"  
  
"ME?!" squeaked Goku. "How did I do that?!"  
  
"Never mind, moron. Let's go eat." They walked down the hall, though their stomachs chose that time to growl, causing Goku to laugh.  
  
The next sound was a giant 'THUD', Goku whining "OOOOOWWWWWWW! VEGETA!!", and the Prince's chuckle.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** NANI?! It's over already?!?!? Well, I said that it was going to be short! Like me! Hee hee! But hey, give me some credit. This is just the first part! I'm gonna do one that's strictly in first-person pov......guess who?....Go on! Guess! I'm not tellin!! Aren't I evil? I'm workin on the next part right now, while the idea is still fresh in my mind.  
  
Special Shout Out To:  
  
Obsidian Blade: Eh heh, no, the last chappie wasn't as sad as I had planned. Ya see, I normally start a chap, then stop, come back minutes later, type some more, then save it, and then I don't work on it till two, three days later when I'm no longer in my "sad" moment. Oh well...I tried! Ah, but I have listened to thee, oh nice reviewer, and have updated much sooner! Now you get to review! Thanx oodles! ^-^  
  
afk: Yeah! I'm back! Woo hoo! ^-^ So, your fav chappie was when B-chan and Veggie-kun first kissed? That's awesome! I luved that chap too cuz it actually turned out the way I wanted it to! Yay! Well, here's the next chap, and I hope you had fun readin it, despite its length! Thankies for the loonnnnggg review! ^-~  
  
Eclipse75: I'm glad that you're glad that I updated (phew!)! It's great to hear from you, and I hope you and everyone else sticks with this fic! Thanks for reviewin!!!! ^-^ It makes me feel x-tra special!  
  
Again, thanx to all who reviewed and put up with my extended periods of time-updates! Be on the look out for my next Chapter........Ch. 11: 8 pt2. You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shut!:::: It's all in first-person pov, and gives you a basic understanding of what happens at dinner, and maybe afterwards. I'll give ya a hint (after all, y'all deserve it).....it isn't in Veggie's pov! So who could it be?!  
  
Ja Ne! ~*Pearl*~ 


	11. 8 pt2: You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shu...

Ch. 11: 8. You Can't Keep Your Big Mouth Shut! pt2  
  
A/N: Well, I'm writing this before I even post the first part of this....so I'm kinda flying blind with this chapter. Oh well! That's the way I usually am when I write. Hee Hee! ^-^ You'll be able to guess the pov right off the bat, so I won't bother naming the person. Enjoy!!  
  
Disclaimer: **Sigh** I know dreams come true....so maybe one day I WILL own DBZ....until then, I'll just borrow them......  
  
Oooooooooooooo! The nerve of that man! Here I was, worrying to death, and he has the gall to insult me and indirectly imply that I have a big mouth!  
  
ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  
  
I should've let him lie there, bleeding, that no-good, egotistical, there's- a-stick-up-my-arse, handsome, strong.....**sigh**. Guess I can't stay mad at him for too long. He looks so cute when he's nervous. Heh heh. I'll just keep him on his toes tonight.  
  
Oh, I'm sorry. You're probably wondering why I'm ranting on about absolutely nothing. And you're probably also wondering what Kook's nest I escaped....right? Hn, well, you have a right to think that. It all started after we went to see what happened to my two fearless warriors......  
  
(((Flashback)))  
  
Piccolo and Gohan seemed pretty jumpy. They said that both Vegeta and Goku's power levels kept going up for no apparent reason. Of course, being Saiyans...ahem....excuse me....SAIYA-JINS.....the fighter in them probably came out and they might've been sparring. I dunno, gimme a break! I can't sense ki! Yeah, but anyway....we all decided to go check up on them and make sure that they weren't actually killing each other.  
  
The sky looked so pretty. The sun was beginning to set, and it threw beautiful shades of red, orange, pink, blue, and violet across the sky. Clouds that looked so soft slowly floated away in the sky. It literally was a Kodak moment. Ah, but these things don't usually last long on Earth. My attention was drawn away from my daydreams to the sparks that seemed to fly around the GR. Ok, again, nothing completely unusual for me...Vegeta always causes this reaction when he's training intensively. Then again, the sparks aren't normally this....large....(O_o)  
  
I stood up on the generator, a not-so-safe thing to do, but I just had to make sure that they were ok. All I could see were two different colored ki's that met in the center. The blue tried to push back the gold, and the gold tried to push back the blue. It actually looked kinda neat! (^-^) But I could feel the vibrations against the metal dome and I knew that it wouldn't be long before the GR decided to blow.  
  
Yamcha, Gohan, Krillin, and I banged the door as hard as we could while everyone else stood away, watching the flashing through the windows. My frustration grew with each passing minute.  
  
"GOKU! VEGETA! GET OUT RIGHT NOW!!" I looked through the window in the door, saw both of them glance at me, then turned to their mini-battle. Oh...no they soooo did not! Kicking the door, I made even more noise and screamed different obscenities at them. And yet they still continued!  
  
Then I saw it happen. Well, I felt it before I saw it.  
  
Vegeta yelled something to Goku, I couldn't quite make it out. His ki aura flickered around him. I stood amazed. It was beginning to turn yellow...well, more golden. Flickered again. Again.  
  
....That's when I felt it....  
  
The ramp that leads up to the main door of the GR felt like a platform for some earthquake simulator. I gasped and nearly fell off. Luckily, Piccolo caught me and pulled, more like dragged, me towards the house. Everyone began to run as far away as they could, hoping to shield themselves. Then I turned to look at my prized invention before a golden light shot out of it and enveloped it.....  
  
.....that's when I saw it......  
  
Debris flew up and out over the compound. I could still make out Vegeta and Goku's silhouettes. That is, until Goku's head lulled back and he went face first into the ground. His Super Saiya-jin appearance disappeared, leaving the plain Saiya-jin we all know and love. Vegeta stood, slightly hunched over. His hair was spikier...if that's even possible....and blonde! His dark midnight eyes were some off-teal color. I nearly squealed for joy, I was so happy! My Prince turned to look at me, shot me one of his almost-smiles before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body joining Goku's on the ground.  
  
So much for a celebration. I then noticed that I was the only one still standing out there. Soon, the others came to see what happened and we all rushed to get them into the Med. Bay. Yay...the story of my life: Vegeta eats, trains, blows up the GR, and we all make a quick run to the back of the house. Its then that I remember that neither Vegeta, nor Goku, have had anything to eat. Just great....  
  
(*One Hour Later*)  
  
I had just returned to the table after checking up on our Saiya-jin Super heroes. Of course, I was practically foaming at the mouth. Vegeta and Goku had insulted me....after all I've done for them! I don't have a big mouth! So I sat at the table, pouting like a little three year old. Then they made their appearance. Nobody seemed to really notice (or care) that they had walked in. The food had started to get cold, and my guests were mainly worried about feeding their neglected stomachs. I don't blame them.  
  
Anyway, Vegeta came and sat between me and Gohan. That place had originally been meant for Goku, but I could tell that he wouldn't move. Goku sat in Vegeta's place (in front of me), not really caring as long as he got to eat. **lol** That's Goku for ya! He grabbed the nearest source of food and piled dish after dish on his large plate. Vegeta was doing the same, though he had some sort of graceful elegance in the way he served himself. He also wasn't drooling all over his plate.  
  
"Goku! Save some for everyone else!" Gotta love Chi Chi. She know exactly how to handle Saiya-jins. Maybe I can borrow her frying pan one of these days....hmm..... The housewife eyed her Goku-san with a glare that could melt steel. Poor Goku, he shrunk away from the giant bowl of noodles in fear. Chi Chi seemed happy with his reaction, and continued on with whatever she was doing.  
  
I watched Vegeta out of the corner of my eye. My plan was to give him the cold shoulder at dinner. It might put him on edge, and I know it would ruin me to not say something, but it had to be done. And so, I did.  
  
"Onna, pass the noodles."  
  
A simple demand, though it was one I wasn't going to accomplish. I could see him blink as I continued eating my wanton.  
  
"Onna...PLEASE pass the noodles." Ah, now we're using our manners.  
  
Again, I ignore him. Hearing him growl, I smirked inwardly, keeping a straight face.  
  
"BULMA! What the heck is wrong with you? Pass the blasted noodles and stop acting like a child!" Amazingly, he isn't yelling, or screaming. Just talking rather loudly.  
  
Hn, but he's managed to insult me once AGAIN! Why that little....oh wait. That's right...he's taller than I am...by a few inches. STILL!  
  
By then, all I wanted to do was wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze the handsome life out of him. I can't bring myself to do it (self- preservation you know), and grab the bowl of noodles, lightly slam it on the table, and excuse myself from the room. I caught a glimpse of Goku watching me, one long noodle hanging from his mouth. His eyes narrow and he glares at Vegeta, who I guess glared back.  
  
I stormed into the kitchen, sitting on the table, feet resting on the bench, back to the dinning room door. My anger had subsided as I realized that I had indeed acted like a child. A very silly child. Frankly, I have a big ego. And anyone who dares to tamper with it will face my wrath. Not that I'll destroy you with a Kame Hame-Ha or Final Flash, but I do have my ways....  
  
.....heh heh....(^.^;;;;;;;;;)  
  
All I could think of were different ways to hurt my new-found love interest. Chinese water torture? No...too........wet. The rack? Eww, too gruesome. My thoughts floated around causing me not to notice that someone else had entered the kitchen and stand behind me.  
  
A strong pair of warm arms wrapped securely around my waist. I was startled, but held my breath, trying to figure out who it was. Then they buried their nose in the crook of my neck. Well, that's new! But it soon pieces together. The very familiar arms give me all the evidence I need.  
  
"What do you want," I growl, for a change.  
  
He chuckled in that oh-so-sexy way that he does. Its deep, soft, comforting. "Come now, Onna. Pouting is not very becoming of you."  
  
I smirked, though he can't see my face. "You seem to think that its becoming of you." He let's out a soft sort that blows against my neck. I lean back into his arms and can feel him relax. Vegeta gives me a kiss on the side of my neck and once again buries his nose against me.  
  
"Let's get back to the table," he stated, pulling me back slightly. I grab onto the edge and hold on. He gives me a quizzical look.  
  
"No more insults tonight?" Grabbing my chin, he looks me in the eyes. "No more." I smile and he smirks, scooping me up in his arms, walking towards the swinging door before setting me back down again. He gently pushes me towards the door and we walk in, hardly missed.....  
  
I can't help but wonder about the giant smirk that crossed Goku's features when we sat back down. What's he got on his mind?  
  
......and this is where you joined me, correct? I've brought you completely up to date on all the events that are driving me up the wall......especially that smirk that Goku STILL has on his face. Its almost as if he knows more than he lets on...........  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** YAY! I finished this part before I even posted the first! Coolness, eh? I guess posting them on the same day will help the confusion. I think I went a bit too fast, but what else could I do? My fingers were gettin tired!!! **lol** Well, the shout outs still stand from the last chapter, and I hope you guys enjoyed this 2-part chapter. Do you like two-parts, or is it annoying? Gimme feedback on this plz!  
  
Guess you guys get a preview now, right?! ^-^  
  
Stay tuned for the next chapter in Ten Things.......Ch. 12: 9. You Know I'm Not A "People-Person":::: Well, with the final send-off of the Z-Senshi done, Bulma decides that it's time to improve her wardrobe. This in mind, she decides that three sets of good clothes aren't good enough for our Prince. A new mini-adventure starts at the mall! Will Veggie even go? Can Bulma convince him? What troubles are in store if they do go to the land of the weirdoes?! Will Vegeta survive?! It's a mad, mad world out there!  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	12. 9: You Know I'm Not A People Person

Ch. 12: 9. You Know I'm Not A "People-Person"  
  
A/N: Hey everyone! I told you my intercession would be an awesome time for me to catch up on my fic! And now I get to write another fun chapter involving Veggie-torture! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Enjoy and don't forget to review!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer:........... Pearl: **humming "Rock the Dragon" Theme song** **Sees vultures wearing suits and ties, carrying suitcases begin to descend upon her** NANI?!?! Vulture #1: I have a suit- Vulture #2: WE have a suit- Vulture #1: Fine! We have a suit against you. Do you, Pearl, claim to own DBZ....? Pearl: Err.....no.....? Vultures #1&2: LIAR!!!! Pearl: GAHHH!! **falls over** Riiiiiiiiiight. Look guys, I've been sayin it for the past 11 chapters....I dun't own it! Now...**takes out shotgun**...I've always wanted to test the range on this baby.....**cocks shotgun** **Vultures run away, screaming bloody murder**......heh heh, bakas!  
  
~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(((Three weeks after the party)))  
  
"Doo dee doo dee do!" Heels clicked against the linoleum floor as the owner continued to hum along with the tune playing on her walkman. Things had been particularly peaceful around the compound for weeks. Nothing had really developed in a certain relationship she had her mind on, but it hadn't died either. The Gravity Room was finally rebuilt and all she had to do was set it up outside. Of course, she was going to make sure it was much farther away from the house. The explosion that had decimated her second model of the GR had taken out the Greenhouse and part of the hall leading to the labs. This also gave her another reason to see him. He had avoided her over the past week due to an incident that was quite...special....  
  
*************(Last Monday// 1:30 AM// Main Entrance to the House)*************  
  
Grease smeared on her face, Bulma Briefs had finally decided to call it a day and head to bed. Her overalls smelled of oil, her hair of gasoline, and she felt icky all over. Deciding to take one last glance at her latest project, she stepped back to admire her handiwork. It had taken her two weeks to build the frame, put on extra-heavy duty shielding, and program the computers. The training bot that she had worked so hard on had also died in the explosion, making the work twice as hard and just as long. But she could let her ego go up a few notches as she realized that she was completing this in half the time it had taken her father and her the first time around. Yes, she was very proud indeed!  
  
Bulma stepped out into the cool night, loving the fact that winter would be coming soon. The stars twinkled above her, and she found her eyes glued to them as she continued walking. As luck would have it, she ran right into a wall....or what felt like a wall...  
  
"Watch it Onna," growled a very sleepy looking Vegeta. His skin shined with a thin layer of sweat. Despite being without his precious GR, he managed to get a daily workout in the forest near the compound or in the backyard.  
  
"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing. It was one of those chance meetings that had happened since the party. Vegeta had took it upon himself to not bother Bulma until the GR was finished, so daily spats and arguments had been limited until they were no longer part of the routine. Vegeta chuckled in spite of himself, placing his finger under her chin and making her look at him. "What's this? Bulma blushing?" A small smile wiggled it's way onto her face. "Hai," she whispered. "I'm just not used to seeing you around anymore. I-I miss you..."  
  
The Prince rolled his eyes. "You and your silly human emotions. I would think that you be glad to have me 'out of your hair', as you Earthlings put it. I'm not pestering you about the GR, though I'm wondering why its taking so long."  
  
"You and Goku blew it up! I've got to completely rebuild everything, no thanks to you Super Saiya-jins-"  
  
"Onna," it was a warning type growl. "Keep you voice down. Who knows who may be listening to us?" He placed a finger on her lips. "Besides, you talk to much."  
  
Bulma sputtered for two seconds. "_I_ talk to much?! Why you-"  
  
"See, there you go. Why can't you keep your mouth shut," he growled, grabbing and crushing her against his body. He leaned in and kissed her, silencing the blue-haired beauty.  
  
"Hmmm..."Bulma sighed, loving the fact that she really wasn't dreaming. Vegeta smirked against her lips, pulling back to look at her. Blue eyes were half-way closed, lips slightly parted. But a single tear trailed down her cheek, another soon following it. Vegeta's smirk slowly eased off his face before a rare look of concern replaced it.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked softly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. A small sniffle escaped before she wiped away the tears in agitation. "Like I said before, I miss you." Hesitantly, she looked up, seeing that he was looking up at the stars. "And I-" She paused.  
  
He looked down at her, a questioning look in his eyes.  
  
"-I love you..."  
  
*************(Present Time// Main Lab Hall)*************  
  
The genius giggled, remembering the utter look of shock that had replaced every other emotion on his face. With a grin, she opened door, recalling how he stuttered out something, smirked, gave her another kiss, and flew off saying he wasn't through training. Sure, she knew he didn't exactly love her in the way she loved him. He probably didn't really know what love really WAS. But that was fine with her, as long as she hadn't scared him off with her bold declaration.  
  
Bulma stepped into her room, never really having found the time to clean it since the party. She had practically lived in her lab for the past few weeks, her life revolving around the metal, round dome that now sat securely in a capsule in her pocket. Her blue eyes darted around the room, coming to the conclusion that her mother had taken out her dirty clothes and washed them. She walked into her enormous closet, sifting through folded clothes and ones on hangers. Most of them were worn out, half of that were ruined from various incidents involving Saiya-jins, Nameks, and Frieza.....in conclusion: she needed a new wardrobe! [=Maybe Vegeta has something I can borrow for now.=] With that in mind, she headed to the Prince's room.  
  
Setting foot in the room in-question, one would think that no one slept there. The bed was made, no clothes were on the floor, and no personal items (i.e. Pictures, posters, CD's, etc.) decorated the area. She walked over to the dresser and saw that his gloves were placed haphazardly on top, gold-tipped boots off to the side in the corner against the wall. The mirror on top of the dresser was squeaky clean, giving her the clearest reflection. But against the mirror were ordinary, everyday items, like deodorant, a slightly used bottle of cologne (that smelt rather nice, by the way), a folded pair of pajama pants, and a piece of paper with some alien writing on it. Bulma guessed it to be some Saiya-jin form of writing, but recognized Vegeta's signature at the bottom in what he called "Earthling Rambling". A small idea passed through her mind, causing her to take the paper, put it through the scanner that sat in her room, and make a quick copy for herself. She'd figure out what it was later. Placing the original copy in it's previous position, she pulled open Vegeta's dresser drawers to find.....  
  
.........underwear....?!?!.......Bulma blushed and closed the drawer containing the boxers of her Prince. The next held socks and a few muscles t-shirts and tanks. The final held another pair of PJ pants and loads of sweat pants and workout shirts. She shook her head, closing the last drawer, and made her way to his closet. Opening it held the same sad results. Vegeta's old Saiya-jin Elite spandex suit hung away from the rest, holes and cuts littered over the fabric. It had been washed, she knew that (because she had been nice enough to wash it), but contained various blood stains from the training excursions he had gone on while searching for Goku after everyone had been wished back.  
  
Her eyes caught sight of the infamous pink "Bad Man" shirt and yellow pants. Honestly, she didn't know what possessed her to buy the poor guy a suit like that! Laughing, she looked over at the only decent set of clothes he had. The navy blue button-up and khaki pants would always remain her favorite, no matter what set of new clothes she brought in. Various memories from the party flooded her mind as she continued to stare at it. She reached out a hand to touch it before the door slammed open.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked, shirt draped around his neck, arms crossed over his chest. Bulma placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes in a dangerous way. "Looking at your clothes, that's what. Got a problem?"  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow, realizing that he too had missed the Onna these three long weeks. "Who gave you permission to enter my room?" He flexed his muscles ever so slightly, hoping to goad her into a fight. That was something else he definitely missed, though not as much as her annoying presence.  
  
"YOUR room?! This was my house long before this was your room Vegeta. And if you think I'm gonna take this from you then you've-"  
  
"Woman, quit your incessant talking and tell me why you're snooping around!"  
  
"I wasn't snooping around!" She huffed, closing the closet door. "I came in to borrow some of your clothes and-"  
  
"Some of MY clothes? What's wrong with the millions of articles of clothing you have stashed in your room?"  
  
"Forget it Vegeta. The bottom line is that both of us need new clothes. So, since we've still got plenty of time left, we can head towards the mall and pick up some stuff."  
  
Vegeta's eyes rounded to the largest she had seen to date. "We? As in you...and.....me?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Never! I refuse to set foot in that blasted building." He turned towards his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers, a muscle shirt, and his PJ pants. As if remembering something, he grabbed his deodorant and cologne too, stealthily trying to hide the paper with alien writing amongst the items in his hands. He leaned against the dresser, looking at Bulma's pathetic pleading eyes. Her lip was stuck out and quivered slightly, eyes shiny and round. Vegeta shook his head slowly and Bulma's bottom lip stuck out even more. She stepped up to him, running a finger down the center of his chest. "Please Geta-san?" A soft growl came from the Prince. "Please?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her head right below his chin, her cheek against his chest. His Adam's apple moved, touching her nose, which was now placed against the front of his neck, when he swallowed. Well, it seemed as if he gulped more than swallowed.  
  
A deep, flabbergasted sigh escaped from Vegeta. "Fine Onna, you win. I'll go." Bulma jumped up, fist in the air. "YAY!" She exclaimed. Vegeta sweat-dropped.  
  
"Then go and take a shower, and I'll be ready when you get out!"  
  
Vegeta headed towards the door when Bulma pulled on his arm. "Oh wait! You can't wear that to the mall!" She handed him the suit combination from the party. "There. We'll go get you something comfortable that won't be quite so formal. See ya!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
((The West City Mall))  
  
Vegeta sulked as they neared the entrance to the mall. To the alien Prince, the mall looked like a madhouse. Different people walked in and out, some young, some old, some stuck somewhere in between. People with hair even wilder in color than his housemate's made him wonder if all humans were crazy. He looked at Bulma who had latched onto his arm ever since they left the air car. His face softened slightly...no, his Onna wasn't crazy.....  
  
"OOOooooooOOOOO! There's a sale at American Eagle! Let's go!!!"  
  
......she was just slightly affected by it........  
  
He felt himself being whizzed by people at an incredibly high speed. Who knew that this little woman could move so fast? Did this happen to all Earth Onna's when they entered the land of nuts? They came to an abrupt halt in front of a store clearly labeled "American Eagle", with a large red and white sign declaring "SALE ON EVERYTHING IN STOCK! 50% OFF EVERYTHING, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 25% OFF ALREADY MARKED DOWN ITEMS!!" Vegeta stole a glance at Bulma, whose eyes were currently glazed over.  
  
"Onna? Bulma...?!" He waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Bulma!"  
  
((10 minutes later))  
  
A walking pile of clothes grumbled about life not being fair. It stood in front of a wooden door, waiting somewhat patiently for the occupant to come out. A shirt had been thrown (accidentally) on top, giving the appearance of clothes with only two legs. The door was finally heard swishing open.  
  
"What do you think...about......this..............Vegeta?"  
  
A mumbled and muffled "Hai...I'm under here," was the reply. Bulma giggled and pulled off the shirt, revealing Vegeta's handsome, but peeved, face. "I'm sorry," she snickered, getting on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "I hadn't realized that it would land on your head. Why didn't you pull it off?"  
  
"And have a bunch of harpy women screech at me for dropping the clothes again? No thanks." Bulma laughed, hugging his arm close to her. Vegeta smirked. For some odd reason, it made him feel good to see the Onna laughing and smiling, happy.  
  
"I see. Well, I'll go change out of this, we'll pay for the stuff, and head on over to a few other stores to get you some stuff, k?" Vegeta nodded, watching her skip back into the fitting room.  
  
((Three hours, 4 stores, 1 lunch break, and 30 minutes later...))  
  
Bulma placed the last bag in a capsule, happy that she had finally gotten the clothes shopping done. Her eyes had caught sight of jewelry store while they were filling up their empty stomachs, and she had been itching to get there since. It was her favorite jewelry store in all of West City, and despite it being in the mall, it still had good deals. She led the way in, holding on tight to Vegeta's hand.  
  
The first spot she reached was the necklace counter. Beautifully crafted diamonds and various other gems hung on gold and silver, some classy, others elegant. Next to it was an entire section of bracelets, with the same exquisite appeal as the necklaces. Vegeta's eyes followed the tour with mild interest. Jewelry had never been a major issue with him. After all, what warrior would go into battle with a necklace? The enemy was liable to use it to choke them!  
  
He stood with his hands in his new leather jacket pockets. It was all fairly dull to him, and he still had to carry two bags! Bulma had run out of capsules for her exceeding amount of clothes and shoes, and had graced him with the 'royal' duty of Bag Boy. Glaring at her back, he wondered why he cared for her the way he did. Then again, from this angle, he did get an excellent view of her cute rear-  
  
The Saiya-jin's attention was drawn away from his Onna to a rugged looking man standing in the center of the store with a gun. Vegeta rolled his eyes. [~Humans and their weapons. How pathetic!~] Women and a few children screamed, but two other men blocked the exit. By now, Bulma's attention was also focused on the man in the middle. Her arm had secured around his arm tightly, and he oddly felt her anxiety at the situation.  
  
"Alright! Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt." The man walked over to the register. "Gimme all the money in there old man, and don't try anything sneaky, or else-" he grabbed a nearby child of about five, "-this kid is gonna get it." He held the gun up to the little girl's temple. Bulma gasped, her free hand covering her mouth. Vegeta's eyes flicked to her out of the corner of his eyes, then back to the robbers. One of the door guards began breaking the glass cases with the butt-end of his gun and stuffed the jewelry in black bags.  
  
The old man continued to empty the contents of the cash register into the solitary bag he had been given, his eyes darting back and forth between the child, the gunman, and the cash. The girl whimpered, crying "Mommy" every now and then. Her mother was being held back by a few ladies in the store, tears running down her face. The first robber growled, turning the girl to face her and slapping her hard across the face.  
  
"SHUT UP!" He yelled, cocking the gun and holding it to her temple. Vegeta's eyes narrowed. Though he had been a mass murder, destroying planets without a second thought, he had never, EVER hit a child, or held one captive. And to see that slob do that to some defenseless, weak child struck a nerve in the Prince. He took Bulma's hand from around his arm, kissed it, then zoomed out of sight. Bulma's eyes widened, and she looked for any sign of him.  
  
"Oi, baka!" Vegeta appeared in front of the robber, kicking the gun up and over to the old man. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit females?" A punch, directly in the jaw. "Or children?" Kick aimed at where the sun don't shine. The man lay on the floor, unable to speak. The little girl, who had been shocked the whole time, laughed and clapped her hands, then ran to Vegeta and latched onto his leg.  
  
"GAHH!!" He waved his hands in the air before falling unceremoniously on his bottom. The girl just laughed and hugged his neck.  
  
"VEGETA! LOOK OUT!!"  
  
"NANI?!" A shot rang out, causing everyone to hold their breaths.  
  
It all moved in slow motion to the Prince. He saw the bullet leave the barrel, aimed towards the little girl. His first instinct was to pull her back, so he complied, earning a surprised yelp from her. Then, in much the same way Radditz had done a few years ago, he caught the bullet between his thumb and index finger. Time went back to normal as he stood up, easily knocking out the other two robbers. A cheer rang out from the shoppers and bystanders, the police coming in to cart off the two.  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma began to run towards him, but she stopped dead in her tracks. The first robber pulled out another gun and fired it, hitting Vegeta in the chest and knocking him to the floor. Another shot, then another. He emptied the cartridge into the Prince. The police immediately wrestled the robber, and took the three away.  
  
"NO! VEGETA!" Bulma screeched, kneeling next to him in the already forming puddle of blood. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly. "Vegeta! Open your eyes!"  
  
No response.  
  
"Vegeta!"  
  
Not even a twitch.  
  
"Do it you sorry-SOB!!" No tears escaped, though she could feel them coming.  
  
This earned a groan from the fallen Saiya-jin, his eyes cracking open ever so slightly. A shadow of a smirk passed over his face. "Your screeching would wake the dead," he whispered, coughing slightly. Though she had been insulted, any response from him was comforting. She started as his eyes began to close.  
  
"Vegeta, stay with me. Please! You've got to keep your eyes open! The ambulance will be here in a second," she said, brushing away a few lazy spikes of hair from his face.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm awake," he groaned, shifting so he could see her better. He brought his hand up to her face, wiping away the tears. "Foolish Onna. It'll take more than a few bullets to kill the Saiya-jin Prince." Two paramedics stepped in, rushing to Vegeta. One police officer tried to pull Bulma away as the paramedics hefted Vegeta onto a gurney.  
  
"No! Let me go! Vegeta!!" He held onto her hand, until the offending members started pulling them away. Their hands began to slip, Bulma jumping to grab hold of Vegeta's fingers. They were finally pulled apart, leaving Bulma to stand shocked next to the officer, and Vegeta trying to sit up to see her. "Bulma!" He yelled, not really caring what people thought anymore. It was still dangerous, and his Onna need him!  
  
"Easy there, buddy!" The blonde paramedic tried to push him back to a lying position. "You're hurt pretty bad and we've gotta get you to the hospital- "  
  
"Get you hands off of me human!" His eyes caught blue hair swishing as the ki of the Onna tried to keep up with them. "Bulma!" He yelled again, sitting up despite the pleads from the medics. The blonde one finally got him back down, using the safety straps to keep him down. "You don't understand, sir. Do you even realize how much blood you've lost? That red stuff on the floor wasn't Kool-Aid!"  
  
"I don't care! Let. Me. GO!"  
  
"Joe, give him a few cc's. Otherwise he's gonna be hard to examine."  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened as a mask was placed over his nose and mouth. He struggled, knowing that they were trying to knock him out. "This is gonna make you feel much better." Trying not to breathe, he found it difficult to hold his breath, his diaphragm having been hit by a few bullets. The gas finally entered his lungs, causing his whole body to relax.  
  
"Bulma..." he muttered, letting the darkness consume him.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** **sniffles** Poor V-chan! Yes, that stupid robber emptied the WHOLE gun into our favorite Prince! Hmm...but now that I've got this chapter finished, I dunno where else to go. I do know one thing....the last chapter of this fic is comin up REAL soon!!! You'll see...I won't tell you HOW, or what'll happen next. I've just thought of something anyway! Ooooooo!  
  
Special Shout Out to:  
  
Obsidian Blade: Glad you luved the last chap! I was hoping it wasn't too corny...but a bit lighter and fun. Thanks for the compliments and review!!! ^-^ Hope this last chap lives up to the praise....  
  
afk: Yeah, Veggie knows how to fix things ^-~!!! I'm glad to see that you're always ready for the next review, and I hope that this chap will keep you satisfied until I get the next chapter out!!  
  
Thanks to all who read and reviewed!! Here's your preview of the next chap!!!  
  
Ch. 13: 10. You Know I'll Always Love You::: Vegeta's in the hospital, and Bulma comes to visit him, bringing a few guests! Now that the doctors said it was ok for him to go home, as long as he stayed away from exercise, he's got all the time in the world to spend with Bulma. What will he say? Will this lead up to them staying together forever? Stay tuned for the next chapter!!!!!  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
~*Pearl*~ 


	13. 10: You Know I'll Always Love You

Ch. 13: 10. You Know I'll Always Love You  
  
A/N: Well, this is it! Another chapter, another fun time. Have fun and don't forget to review! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it.....**bawls**.....I don't even own Vegeta!!!!!!  
  
|Wake up you sorry-SOB!| echoed through his mind. The phrase hadn't insulted him, but instead it had jolted him awake, revealing a blurred image. Heck, the whole entire dream was fuzzy! He groaned, feeling the drug push through his veins, leaving a path of destruction in his body. Never in his entire life had he relied on drugs, whether it be for a headache or infection, and to feel it worming its way in...ugh. Not cool.  
  
|Vegeta...| The voice sounded so far away. His dark eyes scanned the hazy area. He was standing a few feet away from his and the Onna's apparition. It was a basic replay of all that happened that afternoon. |Vegeta, are you up?| A scowl.  
  
"Of course I'm not up, can't you see that?!"  
  
Vegeta's reply echoed around the 'room'. Suddenly, he felt something sharp in his chest. Grabbing it to ease the pain, he looked around for the offender. Another wave of pain hit him, sending him to his knees. [~What's happening?~] he thought, trying to look around. Different areas of his upper-body began to bother him, making his mind fight for consciousness. |...Vegeta...?...|  
  
Black eyes opened, hands hitting the mattress with a slight force. The startled woman jumped back, taking a fighter's stance though she had only a basic knowledge of the Arts. The eyes slowly blinked, easing away a sleepiness that was only too common from the anesthesia used. "Vegeta?" The woman questioned, walking up and sitting on the edge of the bed. The figure turned his head, pale, but alive. "Hey," he greeted, quite out of character, but the woman let it pass. It had to be the medication...  
  
"You feel alright?" She asked, cupping his cheek in one hand, holding his hand in the other.  
  
"Is that a trick question?" He teased, smirking a little.  
  
Blue eyes narrowed at him. "How is it that despite the fact that you're lying here, in a hospital, almost bleeding to death, you manage to still be a pain in the posterior?" Vegeta chuckled, Bulma's laughter joining in.  
  
"The Saiya-jin Prince, a pain? Tsk, tsk Onna. Am I too much to handle?" He wrapped his arms around her, making her lean towards him.  
  
"Hai, more than you can imagine!" She kissed his cheek, sitting up. "I brought a few visitors. They're outside waiting."  
  
"Let them wait," he growled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Woah! 'Geta-san! If you're gonna act like this, I should get people to shoot you everyday." Vegeta chuckled again, tightening his grip. "Come on, V-chan. They've been waiting for a long time."  
  
"Fine, fine. The sooner they're in, the sooner they can leave." He sat up slightly, wincing before crossing his arms over his chest. [~Note to self: DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!~] Vegeta leaned his head back on the pillows, his body desperately trying the rid itself of the anesthesia. Sensitive hearing picked up the soft clicks walking towards the bed. He picked his head up slightly, seeing pig-tails bounce up and down with each step taken. An image of the child earlier popped in the mind of the Prince, revealing her to be the same little girl he had 'rescued'.  
  
"Hello mister!" She chirped, standing to his left with her arms clasped behind her back.  
  
"Hello," he murmured.  
  
"I jus' wanted to say thanks!" Her brown eyes shone with child-like innocence. "Yeah, yeah," Vegeta responded, waving his hand off in her direction. He glanced at Bulma who was smiling at the little girl.  
  
"Umm, I drew ya a picture!" Her hands came around to present a drawing of her hugging Vegeta. Over the top in various colors was written: 'Thank you Mister 'Geta-san! From Kagome (^-^)!'. Both drawings had smiles on their faces. The Saiya-jin reached out and took it, looking over it once more, then handed it to his Onna. A half-smile graced his handsome features as he looked down at her.  
  
"Thanks kid."  
  
"Welcome," She giggled, placing a hand over her mouth. A serious, yet curious look passed over her face. "Hey, Mister 'Geta?"  
  
"Yeah?" Vegeta managed out. The pain was beginning to increase. He eased himself into a more comfortable position.  
  
"I have to go now. Can I give ya a hug?" Wide eyes looked up at him. His own widened, cheeks turning a slight pink. "I don't-"  
  
"Sure!" Bulma exclaimed, beaming. Vegeta glared at her through the corner of his eyes. Kagome squealed, climbing on top of the bed, ready to pounce on the poor Prince. "Wait!" Bulma jumped up to the bed, holding the girl's shoulders. "You've gotta do it gently. He's still hurt, and he doesn't feel good right now. Be careful, ok?"  
  
"Ok," she whispered, gently wrapping her arms around Vegeta's muscled neck. He let his arms slide around her, awkward as it felt to hug anyone but Bulma. Kagome pulled away, her bright smile lighting up the room. "Bye Mister 'Geta! Hope you get better soon!" She hopped off the bed, skipping away towards the door, slowly closing it behind her. Vegeta let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. Bulma chuckled, sitting back down on the bed. "What's so funny?" He questioned, scowling.  
  
"You."  
  
"What?"  
  
Another chuckle. "You shoulda seen your face when she asked if she could hug ya!" Full blown laughter. "Gosh, you're just too cute!"  
  
"I thought I told you never to use that...word....when you describe me!" Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the wall in front of him. Bulma's giggles subsided, though snickers could still be heard over the hand placed on her mouth. "Sorry Veggie, I just can't help it. I've got some good news though!"  
  
"Really?" Came the sarcastic remark. It was Bulma's turn to scowl. "Well, if you don't wanna know, then I'll just leav-"  
  
A strong hand gripped her wrist. "Alright Onna, out with it before I grow impatient."  
  
"Hmph. Fine. The doctor said...." She paused looking around the room as though it were some top secret file. She lowered her voice. "...that you...."  
  
"Yeah?" Vegeta whispered, leaning in. "....could go home!" Bulma exclaimed, waving around those little Japanese fans that most Anime tend to do when something wonderful happens. "Heh..." Vegeta sweat-dropped, watching as the woman did a victory-sign after her jumping around session.  
  
"That's...just..........great..................Bulma?"  
  
"Hmm?" By now she was sitting back on the edge of the bed, a giant grin plastered across her face. "When?" He asked, looking at her warily. Maybe this incident had finally caused her to lose it! Her normal face came back, relieving the Prince. "Tonight. He was so surprised that you were healing this fast, he said that if it continued, you could leave tonight. Course, you can't train for a week or so..."  
  
"NANI!??!?!" Vegeta yelled, jumping to his knees on the bed. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"  
  
Bulma appeared calm. "Yes Vegeta. They don't want your wounds to open up and start bleeding again! You can live without training for one week," she declared, looking at his defeated pose.  
  
"It's bad enough that I haven't had the GR for three weeks, now they want me to quit altogether for a whole week? How am I supposed to train to protect this pathetic planet if I keep getting all these blasted interruptions?!" He turned, facing the opposite wall, then fell backwards, his head resting on Bulma's lap. "This sucks," he muttered, rubbing his left eye with his left hand. Vegeta yawned, feeling Bulma's fingers comb through his hair. "Don't worry. Listen, I've got the GR rebuilt and it's ten times better than the old one!" The Prince's eyes shot up to her face. "If you promise not to train for this whole week, I'll give you the new GR and let you train for however long without ANY interruptions. Deal?"  
  
Vegeta swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. It was too good to be true! Finally, ideal training would be taking place soon enough, and he would finally be able to surpass Kakarot in the process! A smirk washed over his sleepy features. "Deal," he growled, reaching for Bulma, pulling her in for a kiss.  
  
The deal was sealed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Capsule Corps./ DAY 1)) ((*A/N: These sections will be fairly short...**giggles**...*))  
  
Two shadows stood in the doorway of a very large home, one trying to find the keys under the pitch-black sky. Leave it to the parents to forget to turn on the light. The larger of the two leaned on the doorframe, an amused look gracing handsome features. The smaller glared up at the taller, muttering something along the lines of "Shut up!".  
  
"I always told you to clean out that death-trap you call a purse."  
  
"Vegeta, I swear, one more word, and I'll finish you off!"  
  
The Prince laughed, throwing his head back and enjoying himself. "I'd like to see you try!" A growl came from Bulma, causing him to stop and look at her. Blue eyes flashed with electricity. Her face flushed red. [~Uh oh....~] Vegeta felt a tinge of fear. "Is it that 'time' of the month....?"  
  
"GRRR.......VEGETAAAAAAA!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Capsule Corps./DAY 2))  
  
"Stupid female hormones," growled one angry Saiya-jin, holding an ice bag to his left eye and another to his lower back. His question of the night ended up getting him knocked out (hence the black eye) and left on the porch/steps to sleep (pain in lower back). And here he thought he was supposed to be resting! Despite the pain in his chest (plus the new badges of courage he had won the night before), the Prince felt ready to take on the world....  
  
..... "Vegeta!"......  
  
.......Err, well, almost! Doing a quick 180, he limped down the hall to his room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Capsule Corps./DAY 4))  
  
Two hands reached into a giant blue bowl, fishing around for it's contents. The owner of one of the hands had a very passive and bored look, the other held a free hand with a bunched up Kleenex to the right eye. The bored companion rolled his eyes, not caring too much for the sappy romance movie his better half had decided to rent. The only thing keeping him glued to the couch was the fact that his stomach still craved food.....and the fact that Bulma was seated cozily on his lap. Even though he was stuffing his Saiya-jin appetite with popcorn, the scent of the food never penetrated the aroma that filled his senses. The Onna had the nicest (and prettiest...though that wasn't exactly HIS word choice) scent that he had ever noticed. It was familiar, home-like, with a sweet but strong tinge to it, forever leaving a mark in his mind.  
  
He let his chin rest on her shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of home.....his home....  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Capsule Corps./DAY 6))  
  
Droopy, light eyes glared at the hair on the head that was resting on her shoulder. After much arguing (she found that the 'sick' Saiya-jin was beginning to fight back), the beauty had convinced him to sit and play video games with her. It was a victory that she had gloated in, until he had managed to learn the various moves of his 'favorite' character. The VS mode of the game soon became boring: he kept winning and she got angrier with each match. Growling, she slapped the console's OFF button and replaced the CD with a story-mode only game. They took turns, continuing from her saved place in the game and she finished it, beating the game that she had bought months ago. Now that she was back in the spotlight, she wanted nothing more than for him to bow down to her!  
  
But he had fallen asleep, drooling on her favorite PJ shirt. She growled again, pushing the heavier body towards the other end of the couch. A startled snore came from the sleeping Prince, but he remained on the couch, moving only to get comfortable. Bulma let a soft smile penetrate through her angry features. Yawning, she laid down next to him, her back to his chest. After a few moments, she felt her mind slipping to the land of unconsciousness, and Vegeta's arm wrapped around her, holding her close.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Capsule Corps. /DAY 7))  
  
His nose twitched. Again. Something was tickling it and it was bothering the crap outta him. Keeping his eyes closed to block out the annoying sunlight, he brushed his hand over his nose, trying to find relief. It was granted for a moment, before something beside him moved, causing whatever had disturbed him in the first place to go right back to its previous job. Annoyed, he growled, turning to face the other direction despite the fact that he was already comfortable. And he found himself suffocating....  
  
..........  
  
He turned his head, gasping lightly for air. With a very peeved motion, he opened his eyes, glaring at whatever misfortune would greet him this morning. The back of the couch? For a moment, he was lost. And confused. Scanning through his memory bank, Vegeta remembered that he had fallen asleep on the Onna's shoulder, something not completely true to his nature, but this week had been completely random anyway, so he let it pass. He knew he wasn't going pansy-land soft.  
  
With a soft yawn, he tried to turn back to his previous position, finding it a difficult task indeed. His shoulder kept bumping against something...something soft. A dark eyebrow rose. "What is that?" He moaned, turning the opposite way to see. Finally, he was back in the position he had awaken in, only to meet a massive wave of.....  
  
..............blue?!.............  
  
Mouth agape, he struggled to remember whatever else had occurred the night before. Nothing came to mind, other than the possibility that they had dozed off on the couch. But the blue didn't bring anything to mind, so he combed through it, trying to find something, anything, that would give this weird morning some meaning. After a minute or so, he finally got what appeared to be blue hair back, revealing the radiant, yet sleepy, face of his housemate. With a chuckle, he pulled her close, yawning when she buried her nose under his chin. A small rumble came from his stomach, but he ignored that too, deciding that the Onna's rest was slightly more important than his hunger............for a few minutes anyway........  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ((Later that day))  
  
Manicured nails tapped out a beat on the table. Her beautiful, prized motherboard sat in front of her, slightly charred, one muscled arm leaning on it, with the chin of the owner resting on his forearm. There was an unreadable look in his eyes, but she ignored it. Yes, she knew she had promised him a wonderfully repaired and upgraded GR, plus NO interruptions. Now it seemed like a distant memory. Her pink lips pouted slightly in the scowl she wore. Today was definitely going to be one of those days.  
  
Silence had been the only thing shared between them since he hefted the brain of the GR into her lab and on her desk. His voice, deep, but surprisingly soft, broke through. "Onna, I thought we had a deal goin-"  
  
"I know, ok?" She lifted her arms in surrender. "I thought this would be the first project I wouldn't screw up on, and now look!" With a strong fist she slammed it down onto the blue prints before her. "Nothing I do is ever right anymore!"  
  
Vegeta blinked. He hadn't really expected that from her. More of "Shut up!" or "Get the hfil outta here so I can fix it then!" usually echoed through the halls when it came to this matter. But here she was before him, fists clenched, grinding teeth, glaring at a piece of blue paper that couldn't fight back. Pathetic, really. He shook his head, obviously not wanting to deal with a hormonal woman at the moment. Her "time" had actually hit two days ago, and life wasn't quite normal when she was hormonal.  
  
Bulma was still talking about how much she sucked, and Vegeta truly didn't know what she was saying. "Bulma, quit this blasted pity party. For heavens' sakes woman, a circuit shorted! Nothing's wrong with you, so suck it up. Learn from your mistakes and move on with your life!" With that said, he crossed his arms, standing in that intimidating position that made him seem ten feet tall.  
  
Blue eyes blinked at the reprimand that she never expected from him of all people. The corners of her mouth tugged up, and she let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry, 'Geta." Walking around her desk, she stepped in front of him and sat on the edge. "I guess I'm not used to being a failure, ya know? When I fix things, they usually stay fixed....unless I get some extremely strong Saiya-jin to come and bust up my inventions." A shared smirk. "I'm sorry," she repeated, running a hand through her long hair.  
  
"Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness," Vegeta murmured, wiping off some grease from her face with his thumb. He cupped her face in his hand, still trying to get off the grease. Bulma grabbed onto his wrist, giggling slightly. "Don't bother. Soap and water is all I need."  
  
Vegeta tilted his head to the side. "You look kinda...cute...." he made a face while saying cute, not actually believing that he, the Prince of all Saiya-jins, was using such a ridiculous word. Bulma smiled, holding his hand to her face. "Well, you're not so bad yourself," she replied, sliding off her desk and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"All this display of emotion is making me soft Onna," he growled, nose to nose with her.  
  
"But I love you 'Geta-san," she said, placing her cheek against his.  
  
The Prince gulped, trying to muster the "courage" to say something he had never said to anyone before. "This will probably be the only time I tell you this..."  
  
Bulma's eyes widened, anticipation flooding her senses. She continued to stare at the wall, holding her breath.  
  
"I-I love you too," he softly stated, pulling her back.  
  
And he kissed her.....  
  
.......It was the beginning of a beautiful family..........  
  
**************************************************************************** ********** **holds hankie to eyes** My baby is complete! My first completed fic!! YAY!!!! ^-^ I'm sad to see this fic end, but I may have a surprise, depending on what you guys want. I'm sorry this was late but I got grounded off the computer for a while, but now I'm back! Anyway, thanks for all the support and reviews!  
  
Special Shout-Out to:  
  
PANDORA001: Glad you like the story! ^-^ That makes me soooooo happy!!! Thanx for da review!  
  
Galadriel: Heh....sowwy I didn't update sooner, but I had a good excuse that's true!!!! Thanx!  
  
Obsidian Blade: Veggie got shot in another fic too? Random....**sniffle**....well, he survived in this fic! YAY!! ^-^ Waiting for the end isn't unnatural, it ties together all the chapters and doesn't drag out a good fic till it turns sour. Some fics were made to be long, others aren't. This baby is medium-sized, so I decided to end it right about here. Thanx for all the support and reviews! You're awesome!! PS: Thanx for reviewing my poem too! I appreciate it ^-^  
  
afk: Glad you're satisfied, and I hope this last chapter makes you very happy! You're awesome too cuz you've stuck by me and supported me to the end and I really appreciate that! Good luck in all ya do!! ^-^  
  
Kitsune-sama: Aren't V/B stories spectacular?!?!? LUV 'EM!! Anyways, thanks for the kind review, and I hope you liked this final chapter!  
  
Again, thanx to everyone whose reviewed this fic and supported me through Writer's Block-itis and all that wonderful stuff. Like I said, I have a surprise addition, so if y'all want me to post write it and post it, lemme know, and you'll get a nice present as my appreciation!!!! Luv ya guys oodles!!!  
  
Ja Ne, ~*Pearl-chan*~ 


	14. Epilogue: Welcome to the Family!

Epilogue  
To  
10 Things  
  
October 19, 2003  
  
A/N: Hey! Thanks much for the wonderful reviews, and here's my "surprise" for you all. You guys deserve it!!!  
  
Disclaimer: .............duh.................  
  
TICK. Pause. TICK. Pause. TICK.....  
  
It had been an endless cycle for quite a while now. The clock continued to tick away the seconds, alerting all in the radius of 10 feet just how long it was taking a certain event (or events) to happen. Small puffs of smoke whirled towards the time keeper, before slowly dissipating, leaving only scent as it's trail. The small room was fairly quiet, if you didn't count the clock, and had two doors on either end, as well as a long hallway that met in the center. A receptionist sat on the left side, reading a magazine, a window with the shades pulled stood on the right side. For as long as he could remember being there, the shades had been closed.  
  
He sighed, giving another glance at the clock. Well, it was more of a glare. His ears picked up every blasted tick that came from it, and it was slowly, but surely, driving him insane. Not literally of course, but still. According to the wonderful earthling invention, he and the old people had been there two hours, eleven minutes, and thirt-no, fourteen seconds. Running a hand through his thick, black hair, he wondered if all this fuss was really worth it. People came into the world everyday, nearly every minute. And did it really have to take this long? He could be training!!  
  
A scowl fixed a temporary spot on his face as he stood up. The shade over the mystery window had finally been pulled up, revealing a redhead nurse in a crisp, clean uniform. Arms crossed, he mince-stepped his way over, trying not to step on the three sleeping forms. Reaching his destination, he looked in.  
  
Brats.  
  
Bundles of them.  
  
Crying.  
  
Vegeta cocked his head to the side, watching one brat cry, though it didn't seem to bother the others. His eyes scanned the tiny room, observing babies of different shapes, sizes, and colors, some sleeping, others playing with their blankets. Midnight eyes stopped on one empty crib, trying to read the slightly sloppy print.  
  
"Briefs-Ouji, ______: __lbs., __oz.: DOB______: Gender______"  
  
His brat still wasn't born?! What was taking so long? At this rate, he'd be an old man! Then it hit him faster than any ki blast could.......  
  
.......he was going to be a father..........  
  
Oh sure, he had known about it for months now. He had even grown somewhat used to the idea, but it finally sunk in. It struck a nerve that hadn't been touched in quite a while. Looking down at his hands, he realized that he had killed millions, billions even, without a second thought. Babies, like those lying in the Nursery, yes, he had even killed harmless babies. He could still hear the people's screams of terror as they died, painfully, without mercy. Blood had dripped from his powerful hands.  
  
Surely the Onna couldn't even trust HIM with the child. He would hate to be alone with it. God only knows what could happen, despite his change over the past two years. What if he choked the brat when it cried? Or poisoned it's food? Or...or-?!?!  
  
His eyes snapped up, coming back to reality as a firm hand grasped his shoulder. His companion smiled down at the little people on the other side of the glass. "They're miracles Vegeta. Tiny, living, breathing miracles. And they're cute too!" chirped the man, giving a cheesy grin.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes. There was no way that this man could be the most powerful being on Earth. "Kakarot, you make me question my sanity." Goku scratched his head in the customary Son way, chuckling quietly. Even the Prince had to snicker. It wasn't often that he saw the lower class warrior and could make fun of him, all in one day. Both men sobered, however, when they felt a familiar ki flicker, lowering slightly. Vegeta grimaced, a pain shooting through his chest as his mate's ki flickered again.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Asked Goku, looking for all the world confused.  
  
"I don't know," Vegeta ground out, holding the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, a look of concentration pressed onto his face. He blinked after a moment or two, his cheeks hinting at a pinkish color. "And I thought I had a dirty mouth," he mumbled, eyes shifting to meet Goku's own.  
  
"Oh," said the younger warrior. "Chi Chi was the same when she was having Gohan. Sometimes having that bond isn't too great." The Prince nodded, leaning against the large window. "I've never heard the Onna use such language before. Do all Earth women resort to this during childbirth?"  
  
Goku scratched his chin, eyes wandering over to Chi Chi and Gohan's sleeping forms. "I think so...this is only the second time I've gone through this. There are programs on TV where they show what goes on inside the delivery room; some ladies act the way Chi Chi and Bulma have, others are pretty mello about it."  
  
"You mean you actually watch those things?!" The older of the two felt the blush creeping back onto his features, and watched, with some satisfaction, as the tall warrior also blushed. "Chi Chi made me," mumbled Goku, his face brighter than Vegeta had ever seen it. He snorted, crossing his arms and glancing at the clock yet again. Five minutes had passed...he felt his sanity slipping with each second. All of his past sins must've finally caught up with him, for now the Prince had to wait it out, just like all other fathers. He had never felt so helpless before in his life.  
  
The room was eerily quiet again, his Saiya-jin compatriot's attention now on the babies on the other side of the glass. Then a shrill cry broke through, waking all in the room....  
  
.....Vegeta's eye twitched. Well?! A doctor in blue scrubs practically flew through the doors, a giant grin on his face. The new father righted himself, fazing in front of the startled doctor. Another grin flashed across his face. "Congratulations Mr. Ouji! It's a boy!!" Various cheers broke out among the Sons, though Piccolo just smirked, and elder Briefs while the doctor reached for Vegeta's limp hand, shaking it vigorously. He said something else the Prince didn't quite grasp, but it didn't matter. He was in a total world of shock.  
  
Goku bounced over to the Prince of his people, Son Grin etched into his features. "Congrats Dad!" He blinked and waved a hand in front of Vegeta's face. The latter's mouth was slightly open, his eyes glazed over.  
  
"A boy..." he mumbled, a genuine smile gracing his handsome features. Goku chuckled, wrapping an arm around the shorter man. "Come on, let's go check out this new little Saiya-jin Prince." The two pushed the swinging doors, walking down the long, white hallway. Their voices traveled back to the waiting room.  
  
"Bet ya his name'll be Trunks."  
  
"Not on your life Kakarot! He will be named after me, as all men in my family have carried this name."  
  
Goku's light chuckle echoed throughout the narrow hall. "Whatever you say Geta-san."  
  
**************************************************************************** ********* There ya go, sorry for the delay. I've had issues regarding Chemistry (**glares at Chem. book**), but hopefully, God willing, I won't have to be away from you guys for long anymore. Hope the ending to this wasn't too disappointing. But now that I've started a new fic (The Rising: Darkness Falls), I didn't want to prolong this anymore than it needed to be. BTW, go check out my new fic plz! I'll admit that the first chapter isn't great, but it'll get better, I promise!!  
  
Special Shout-Out To:  
  
LIMAR: Yeah, I know that Geta-san could take just about any man-made weapon in the gut and laugh cuz it tickles. But the main thing here is the element of surprise. I'm glad you love the story though! Thanx for da kind review!!  
  
Obsidian Blade: Ah, my dear Blade-chan.....you've been a great inspiration and support to me. Thanks soooo much for stickin around, despite my very LONG delays. I'm glad you luved this fic, and I hope to read some more stuff from you too!! ^-^  
  
Darkcherry: Well, I wrote what I was planning! Hee hee! ^_^ I'm guessing that you liked this story by your lovely demand to write this last part. **cheesy grin** I feel special. Any who, thanks for reviewin and I hope to hear from ya soon!!  
  
Ieyre: **flashes thumb sign** Thanks lots!!  
  
Galadriel: Thank you too! I'm so glad you liked it. I was kinda flying blind with this whole fic. Normally, I don't plan out what I'm writing, but tried very hard to stay on one single road for this one. Oh well, at least it turned out better than I could've hoped.  
  
Afk: YAY! Everyone seems to luv this fic (though I can't figure out why for the life of me...j/k)! **cheesy grin** Here's that long-awaited surprise addition!! And yes, as I said before, I've started another fic (The Rising: Darkness Falls), and plan to make it long. Very long **smirks** . Sure, I'd love to read your fantasy story. My best friend and I are planning to write one together, so I'm most definitely love to read it! Thanks again!  
  
Again, thanks to all who stuck with me! Luv ya oodles!!!!  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
~*Pearl*~ **V-sign** 


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